


Days Forgotten

by pikajo14



Series: The Fractured Time Series [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Dark, Drama, Family Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2018-12-02 14:40:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 54
Words: 171,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11511498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikajo14/pseuds/pikajo14
Summary: Vegeta has been hiding his past from his children for years, to the point where a rift is forming between them, but now his past has come to collect him. Meanwhile, Goten feels cut off from everyone in his life. What will happen when these two fates collide? Not Yaoi. A bit darker in later chapters. Adventure/Drama/Angst





	1. Chapter 1

Vegeta sighed as he threw a couple of punches into the air. Everything had changed. His children used to come in here with him, but once Trunks was about fifteen he left to focus on Capsule Corp, while Bra stopped once she was twelve, saying that training wasn't cool. He still didn't understand their lingo, but left them be.

Times had changed. Once they thought of him as their hero, but now… they only looked at him as if he was a loser. Kakarot was the hero. Bulma had even made that mistake in front of him before.

Vegeta blasted a couple of droids. Not that he really ever was a hero. His children didn't need to know his checkered past. It was bad enough that Trunks had seen him do those things under the power of Buu. He didn't want them knowing about Frieza. They already had distant feelings about him. He didn't want them to cut ties completely.

The gravity room made a couple of odd beeps then shut off as a breaker broke. Vegeta only sighed again. Now he would have to tell Bulma to fix it.

He walked out of the gravity room and across the lawn. He could already hear laugher around him. Bulma was throwing one of her parties and from the sound of it, Trunks was mingling with those kinds of people. He could hear his son talking about corporate takeovers and almost smiled. It reminded him of a different time.

Once he was in the house, he could hear a bunch of squealing in the kitchen. Bra must have had her friends over. She was 16 now, so most of that talk was about boys, which Vegeta couldn't stand. It was just as bad as Trunks, who was now 24. The boy had gone on so many dates that it left Vegeta's head spinning. He had never needed to look at so many people. Then again, he never had time for such things.

"I can't believe that mom used to date Yamcha," Bra said to her friends.

"What? Then why is she with your dad?" He heard Kakarot's granddaughter ask.

"I don't know. I mean, Yamcha is a baseball player. What has my dad even done besides break the gravity room?" Bra said in annoyance.

Vegeta backed away. He had just lost his appetite. Was this really what Bra thought of him? Did she really think of him as a waste of space?

"Come on, Bra. You know that Dad does more than that," Trunks said, walking in. "Remember, he talks about training for hours on end." Trunks sounded pretty annoyed.

Bra laughed. "I don't see the point. Goku's around and he's training Uub to take his place. Why does dad even bother?"

He had heard enough, but instead of going after them, he chose to go upstairs. As he lay down on the bed, he tried to clear his mind. His children just didn't understand, and, hopefully, they never would. His eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

_He was on a random planet in the middle of nowhere. There were six saiyans around him and they were all talking quietly. They were making a plan. They were given their orders from Frieza and they would do what he wanted._

_He told the assassin and the sniper their positions, while going over everything else with the rest of the team. Soon this planet would be cleared, just as Lord Frieza wanted it to be._

" _Prince Vegeta." He turned to look at their eighth member. He had returned from the other side. The man pulled out a computer chip and tossed it to him. "That's everything I could find. From the looks of it, there is already political unrest."_

_Vegeta smirked darkly. "Then they have no allegiance to each other." He turned back to the others. "This will be easy then."_

_Next to him, Raditz chuckled darkly while messing with some random explosive. "Do you want me to take care of the exits?"_

_Vegeta nodded. "Make sure no one can leave." His eyes filled with demented pleasure. "Extinction is upon them."_

He shook his head as he woke up from his nap. It had been a long time since he had thought about those days. He knew what had happened to Raditz, but the others were a mystery. All of them disappeared over the years, they were most likely dead. The thought was gloomy.

He could always go and check. His family probably wouldn't care too much. Hell, from the sound of it, his children wanted him gone. He sighed, but the moment he left something would happen and he couldn't take that risk. He had already watched his family die once. He couldn't do that again.

"Vegeta? What are you doing up here?" He hadn't heard his wife come in. He had been too focused on his thoughts.

"The gravity room is broken," he said, continuing to stare at the ceiling.

Bulma stared at her husband. This wasn't like him at all. "Then why are you here instead of asking me to fix it?"

He shrugged. "I wanted a nap."

Something had to be wrong with him. She couldn't help but stare at him as if he had grown another head. "You…You wanted a nap?"

Vegeta sighed and pulled himself up. "Yeah, I have a headache." He tensed up. She already knew that was impossible.

"Vegeta…" She sat next to him. "You know you can tell me anything."

He remained quiet. He was never a talker and she knew that.

Bulma stood from the bed. "You'll tell me sooner or later. I'll go and fix the gravity room for you."

He gave her a small smile. "I knew that marrying you would have its benefits," he joked.

She rolled her eyes. "Were you pouting because I had a meeting here?" She knew that Vegeta didn't like that many people. From the moment she met him, he was forever an introvert. He put up with her friends. The only one that could be classified as his friend was Goku. She only wished that he could find some people that he would actually get along with.

He put on a fake smile. "Yeah, that was it."

She shook her head. "You know, one of these days, I'm not going to be around. What are you going to do then?"

He shrugged. "I'll probably lose this headache," he teased. She glared at him then stormed off, leaving him alone again. She wouldn't be happy if she knew that he had been thinking about leaving, so it was best to stay quiet.

He rolled over onto his side. Part of him just wanted to fall back asleep and face those dreams again. Those days were neither bad nor good. He was under Frieza, but his comrades were good company.

He shook his head. He needed to forget about everything. That part of his life was over. None of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was the here and now. He would stay here with Bulma and his children. There was nothing waiting for him in space, nor would there ever be again.

He closed his eyes and sleep took over him once more. His dreams started where they had left off. This would be the only place that those battles would ever take place. He might as well enjoy it.

* * *

Somewhere on Namek

"Do you really think this is a good idea, Sorbet?" Tagoma asked.

The alien only laughed. "How could it be bad? Our glorious leader will be returned to us and we will be rewarded." Sorbet looked around himself as large Dragonballs surrounded him. "Did you bring the Namek?"

Tagoma nodded then motioned to some soldiers to bring their prisoner forward. "Bring forth the dragon and make our wish!"

Sorbet laughed to himself as the dragon shot into the air. The Namek continued to speak and there was a bright light as they watched their leader materialize in front of them. Sorbet motioned for everyone to bow. "Lord Frieza, you have returned."

Frieza looked around at the planet, then down at his subjects before laughing manically. He looked over at the Namek before blasting a hole through him. "So, Sorbet, where are my monkeys?" he asked. A devilish idea began to go through his head.

"They have disbanded, My Lord," Sorbet stuttered in fear.

Frieza growled. "Let me see the dragonballs then." They all stood back as he looked down at them, then shook his head. "Bring me another Namek."

The soldiers began to scramble around in panic as he waited, but soon another Namek came forth. "I need a wish and this dragon is still waiting. There is a saiyan that I wish to be returned to me."

"Wha…" the Namek started.

"His name is Raditz," Frieza said, glaring at the Namek. "Bring him back to life."

The tyrant smiled as the Namek walked forward and began to tell the dragon his wish. Just like before, he watched as Raditz appeared before him. The long maned saiyan looked around before looking at Frieza. "My Lord," Raditz said, falling to his knees.

"I have brought you back to life. Do you know where the others are?" Frieza asked, glad to see that the saiyan was still loyal.

Raditz growled. "I died on Earth, My Liege. I went there looking for my brother, but I failed to bring him back. I believe that Prince Vegeta and the old man went after me. As for the others, I have no idea."

Frieza nodded. "Very good." Frieza turned back to his men.

"Find them." He needed the rest of them back.

"But we don't know…" Tagoma started, only to be punched in the gut.

"I will task you with finding six of them." Frieza smirked.

Sorbet panicked. "But what of the eighth?"

Frieza laughed. "I will retrieve Vegeta myself."

"Yes, My Lord." Sorbet backed away and his soldiers moved around him.

Frieza looked back at Raditz. "Do you believe that Vegeta is still on Earth?"

Raditz pondered his question. "Maybe, all I know is that disgrace of a brother lives there."

"Brother?" Frieza asked.

"Kakarot," Raditz growled. "He refused to come back with me. The oaf is as blind as our father."

Frieza smirked. "Does your brother go by the name Son Goku?"

Raditz snarled. "That name means nothing to me. His name was Kakarot and he's nothing more than a third class nothing."

Frieza grinned. "But I believe you're also a third class saiyan."

Raditz shook his head. "He doesn't deserve his placement with our title. He's nothing more than a traitor."

"And what of Vegeta? The last time I saw him, it seemed that he had turned against me," Frieza asked.

"Kakarot may have brainwashed him, my Lord," Raditz said angrily. "He had to have gotten into Vegeta's mind. I'm sure of it," Raditz continued. "There is no way that any of us would betray you."

Frieza grinned darkly, then turned away from Raditz. "There is equipment for you back at the ship. Do what must be done here."

Raditz smirked. "You wish for my services then?"

Frieza nodded. "All of you will be together again. Do not worry. I will bring Vegeta back into the fold and stop your brother once and for all."

Raditz continued to grin. "Amen, my Lord." Raditz made to gather his supplies. "There will be a fire tonight, I assure you."

Frieza chuckled to himself. "Very good. I promise you, the explosives are more potent than they were back then." At least they were before he died, but Frieza wasn't going to tell Raditz that part. As far as Raditz was concerned, Frieza couldn't die and never would die. He was their sovereign after all. Their grand leader, for whom they would do anything.

Frieza looked around him. Soon, he would be in power again. All he had to do was have the rest of his saiyans at this side once more. He would even destroy Son Goku. Once Vegeta was back by his side, they could begin.

 


	2. Chapter 2

2 months later…

Bulma thanked her mother for breakfast as they began to dig in. This was normal, every morning they would have breakfast as a family. The only problem was that her husband had been absent for the last couple of months.

She sighed as she looked over at his empty seat. This wasn’t like him. Well, this wasn’t like the man that she ended up marrying. Back when they first met and Trunks was born, this was the norm. She didn’t like it at all.

Bra finished up her breakfast with a smile on her face. “Pan and I are going to go to the mall after school today. Do you want anything while we’re out, Mom?”

Bulma smiled. “Maybe I should meet you two over there. Some of this season’s styles are out and I want to look good for the business meeting that I have in two weeks.”

Bra didn’t look put off by this though. “That’s fine. Pan and I can get more then,” she giggled.

Trunks on the other hand, just rolled his eyes as his grandfather started going over some of the newer inventions. “Mom, do you have to go?” He wasn’t sure if having her out of the house was a good thing.

“What do you mean?” Bulma asked.

Bra then sighed. “Why don’t you stay home and Trunks can go to the business meeting?”

Bulma wondered why her children were acting like this. “I’ve already promised them that I would go. Besides, the two of you will be fine without me.”

“But…” Bra started.

“Your grandmother and grandfather are here,” Bulma said, starting to get angry. “As well as your father.” Both Trunks and Bra looked away from her as soon as she brought up Vegeta. Why? Did it have something to do with why Vegeta was being so distant as of late? “Did something happen between you and your father?” she asked.

Bra and Trunks looked confused at the notion, so maybe she was wrong. “Then why don’t you want to stay here with him?” she asked.

Bra leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “He’ll just stay in the gravity room like he always does. It’s not like he’s going talk to us anyway.”

“Bra! He’s your father!” Bulma angrily shouted.

“I don’t care! He’s not accomplishing anything in there! He’s just wasting time!” Bra spat back.

Bulma could only stare at her daughter. “You don’t really believe that do you? Your father does what he does to protect us.”

“And Goku can’t?” Trunks said, defending his sister.

Bulma looked between the two of them. She was speechless. It was no wonder that her husband was staying away. He thought he wasn’t welcome in his own family. “The two of you will go and apologize to your father.”

“Why? It’s not like he’s going to share anything with us,” Bra stated. “All he wants to do is train.”

“Besides, he’s always had it easy,” Trunks said, smirking at his sister.

SMACK!! Trunks touched the side of his face and looked at his mother. She looked like she was in tears. “You know nothing!”

With that, she left her children behind and began to walk towards the gravity room. She was still in tears as she knocked on the door. The humming stopped and he opened the door. He must have sensed that it was her.

“What are you doing out here this early?” Vegeta asked. The last time his wife showed up when he was training had to be years ago.

She launched herself at him, the door to the gravity room closed behind them as she began to kiss him.

He pulled her against him and locked the gravity room from the inside. A smirk appeared on his face. “So that’s what you want?”

She giggled. Only when they were alone would he be like this. It kind of made her feel special. She felt him purr against her neck before he kissed at it. “Remember the first time we did it in here?” she giggled.

He smirked against her skin. “How could I forget? That was some outfit that you wore.”

She laughed. “Well, I wasn’t planning for it to rip.”

“You know that nothing is safe from my touch, especially clothing,” Vegeta purred.

“I found out about Trunks a couple of months later,” she said.

Vegeta froze. “Why are you bringing this up?”

She forced him to look at her. “I know what they said.”

He knew that looking away from her was futile. “What about it?”

She sighed. “Maybe it’s time that they knew the truth.”

He shook his head. “They already think that I’m a deadbeat father. They don’t need to know that I was a cold blooded killer.”

Bulma wrapped her arms around him. “If they knew you better, they would understand all of this.”

Vegeta pulled away from her and turned around. “I’ve killed men, women, and children. Planets full of entire races, were nothing to me back then.”

Bulma stared at his back. “You aren’t that person anymore.”

Vegeta continued to stare at the wall. “I still dream about it.”

“Vegeta, those are nothing but nightmares,” she said.

He shook his head. “It’s my past. You and Kakarot may be able to look passed it, but I don’t think Bra or Trunks will. If anything, it will only give them a greater reason to resent me.”

Bulma sighed. She hated when he was right. “But what are we going to do now?”

Vegeta finally looked at her, giving her a mischievous smile. “Why don’t we just continue what we were doing earlier and forget about them for now?”

* * *

 

A couple of weeks went by and it was time for Bulma’s trip. She really didn’t want to leave them alone, but she had no choice. This could be good for them.

She looked at her husband one last time and he nodded as she left the house.

Trunks looked over at Bra. Neither of them ever understood this. Their parents were never very loving towards each other; so why did she defend him so much? Didn’t his mother deserve a man that actually loved her?

“I’ll be back in a few days,” Bulma said turning to her children. “Stay out of trouble.”

“We will, Mom,” Trunks said. “I’ve still got work remember?”

“And I’ve got school,” Bra said, turning to glare at her father.

Vegeta said nothing. They had already said their good-byes in the shower earlier. He only looked at his wife as she turned around and left him alone with his children. He turned his back the moment the door closed, heading for the gravity room.

“Dad, aren’t you going to say anything?” Bra snapped.

“What is there to say?” Vegeta said. It wasn’t like she wanted him to talk to her anyway. He turned around to look at his daughter. She looked so much like her mother. It was a shame that they didn’t have the same personality. From the look of it, his children were as stubborn as he was. He really had nothing to say to them anyway. He would slip, then they would know everything.

Trunks sighed and turned to Bra. “Let me take you to school, since Dad isn’t volunteering.”

“I hate you!” she growled, seeing if she could get a reaction out of her father. He had to have some emotions.

Vegeta looked away. He expected this to come up sooner or later. If she wanted to rile him up, there were worse ways of doing that.

Vegeta walked away from them, leaving his children alone. He wasn’t going to stand around and listen to their snide comments. He really didn’t want Bulma to leave, but he understood her responsibility. It was an important business deal, something that would earn her praise from their children and a more than a couple of rounds of sex from him.

He disappeared into the gravity room for the rest of the day. By the time he finished and was ready to exit, everything felt odd. Something wasn’t right. He could sense it. He exited the gravity room only to find a space ship coming down from the sky. Soldiers were already starting to file out of it.

A scream came from the front of the house and he flew forward in shock. That was Bra’s voice.

He made it to the front of the house and completely froze.

“It’s been a long time, Vegeta.” Frieza stood there with his foot on Trunks’s head.

Bra was on the ground off to the side, and was staring at the strange alien in fear.

Vegeta powered up, but he could sense that the tyrant was stronger, much stronger. “Why are you here?” he asked, glaring at Frieza. “Kakarot isn’t here.”

Frieza only chuckled. “I have no interest in Son Goku at the moment. I came to collect you.” The tyrant dug his foot down onto Trunks’s head. Just for Vegeta to land a punch to the side of Frieza’s face, forcing the tyrant off of his son.

Trunks looked up at him from the ground. “Dad…”

“Get your sister out of here,” Vegeta said, looking down at his son. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, but it had nothing to do with being hit. He knew that this would be the last time he looked at his son.

Trunks stood and grabbed Bra. She was staring at him in shock. He took one last glance at the two of them before the fighting erupted. Blasts flew through the air as the two of them fought.

Vegeta could sense that Trunks and Bra were heading for Kakarot’s home. They were out of Frieza’s reach. Now he could stop this.

Frieza must have noticed what he was doing and laughed. “Have you become sentimental, Vegeta?” The tyrant walked around him. “Those are your brats aren’t they?”

“That is none of your concern,” Vegeta growled.

Frieza only smirked. “How pathetic. You’re no longer the soldier I worked so hard to create. Don’t you miss the power you used to have?”

“What power? I was only a slave that did your bidding,” he snapped as the frost demon circled him.

“Tsk, tsk. What about your squad? Don’t you wish to see them again?” Frieza said in a mocking tone. Vegeta tensed up. So, the frost demon had found where his horde had gone. The rest of his team was still out there and alive. “I see that I’ve got your full attention,” Frieza grinned. “I’ve brought back one of you of course. I couldn’t leave Raditz dead, could I?”

Vegeta felt like he couldn’t breathe. They were alive. All of them were alive. “What do you want from us?” He already knew the answer. Frieza wasn’t here to say hi. The alien had already told him his business.

“I want you to come with me,” Frieza chuckled. “I can’t just take over the galaxy without my favorite pet monkeys.”

Vegeta growled, “Yes, you can.”

Frieza shook his head. “The last time that I thought that, I was destroyed by more than one super saiyan. If you had been by my side, it never would have happened.” The tyrant came closer. “So are you going to come quietly or will I have to remove you with force?”

Vegeta knew that he didn’t have much time to think over his options. He could already hear screaming from the streets. The soldiers were probably gunning down the stray humans. Bulma was still out there. She was on her way to a meeting. She could be caught up in this mess or even be killed by it. Plus, his children were still in danger. “If you leave the rest of this planet in peace, I will go with you.”

Frieza’s grin became a terrifying smirk. “So you’ve gotten attached to this planet then?”

“Do you want me to come quietly or not?!” Vegeta growled.

Frieza only cackled. For the tyrant this was too good to be true. “You will return to my side with those conditions.”

“Yes,” Vegeta nodded. This was it. He was selling his life back over to the one person that he never wanted to see again; the person that had destroyed his life before.

Frieza pushed a button in on his scouter. “Everyone back to the ship. We’re leaving.” Frieza motioned to the ship. “After you, Prince Vegeta.”

Vegeta moved forward and onto the ship. The moment he heard the door seal and Frieza’s presence behind him, he felt at ease. His family was safe. Bulma was safe. That was the only thing that mattered.

Suddenly, he felt a blow to back of his head, forcing him to his knees. Another blow hit him and he fell the ground as everything went black.

Frieza smirked down at the body on the floor and turned to one of his medics. “Take him to a tank. I have big plans for him.”

“Is he the one that you want the serum in?” the alien asked.

Frieza nodded and began to laugh as the alien began to take Vegeta away. “Tomorrow, the last 30 years will be nothing but a bad dream for you. Besides, that was one hell of a coma, My Prince.”

* * *

 

Trunks was out of breath when they got to Goku’s house. “Goku!” he called out for the fighter, but only Chichi came out of the house.

“Trunks? What are you doing here?” Chichi asked as Goten walked out as well.

“We need Goku, the city is being attacked!” Bra said franticly. Guilt was going through her. What was the last thing she had even said to her father? Was he still alive?

“But he’s not here,” Chichi said.

“What?” Trunks said in shock.

“He went to go and train Uub with King Kai,” Goten answered. “We don’t know when he’ll be back.”

“Shit. This is bad,” Trunks said. “I don’t know what to do. Dad’s fighting them now, but he can’t take on that many people on his own.”

“Vegeta can handle that,” Chichi said, making everyone stare at her. “It’s not much different from what he used to do.” Chichi shook her head. “Don’t mind me, I’m just muttering to myself.”

Goten shook his head. “I’ll call Gohan. Maybe he can go back Vegeta up until Dad gets back.”

Bra was in tears. “We don’t know where mom is. She went on a business trip this morning.”

Chichi led her inside the house and sighed. “I’ll call her. Why don’t you sit down for a little bit? I’ll try to find a way to call Goku.”

Bra nodded as she sat down on the couch. Trunks and Goten came in soon after as Chichi talked on the phone. Bra looked off to the side. She should have kept her mouth shut. Why did she have to tell her father that she hated him today?

“What do you mean no one is there?” Chichi said. “Trunks and Bra just flew over here in a panic.” They all turned to look at Chichi. “What do you mean? Why would an army come here and then just disappear into thin air?” Chichi said.

Bra and Trunks looked at each other in shock. “That’s impossible,” Bra said.

“I know what I saw,” Trunks started.

“You can’t find him?” Chichi said into the phone. “Have you checked the gravity room?”

Goten walked over and hit the speaker so that everyone could hear. “No, Mom, no one is here. There is a sign of a struggle, but nothing else. Whoever it was, they must have been here, got when they wanted, then left. I did find a few dead people down the street though.”

“But what could they want that was here?” Bra asked.

Trunks turned pale. “That guy said he was here to collect Dad.”

Goten looked at Trunks in confusion. “Why would anyone want to collect your father?”

“That’s what I want to know,” Trunks said, looking at his sister.

Bra’s eyes filled with tears again. Why did that alien want Dad to begin with? Dad was just some freeloader. She just didn’t understand.

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

By the time that Goku returned, two days had passed. Bulma had been reached and had returned the day before he did. She had been in such a panic that her children just couldn’t talk to her. She wanted to know where Vegeta was. No one could find him since Frieza had shown up. At least, she believed it was Frieza. Who else would come to collect her husband?

Goku sighed at the news. “I should have been here.”

Chichi glared at her husband. “Well, if you didn’t always run off to train!”

“But, Chichi, I needed to show Uub how to…” Goku started.

“Don’t ‘but, Chichi,’ me!” Chichi screeched. “Just help them find Vegeta!”

Bra and Trunks were sitting there, still in shock over what had happened. Everyone else seemed to know that something was going on and they looked panicked about it, especially their mother. Bulma was pacing at the moment.

“But I don’t even know where Frieza’s base is. The only one that had that information was Vegeta,” Goku said, making Trunks and Bra look up at the fighter. Why would their father know anything about that?

Bulma froze. “The dragonballs.”

“What about the dragonballs?” Trunks inquired, but Gohan spoke over him.

“Vegeta isn’t the only one that knows where that base is,” Gohan said, agreeing with Bulma.

Bra and Trunks waited for an answer, but everyone began to shift around the house. “He should know everything. He was also an elite,” Bulma said.

“Hopefully, the base is in the same place,” Gohan answered.

“Who are you two talking about?” Goku asked. Bra and Trunks were grateful for his question. They wanted to know what this was all about.

“Dad, we can bring back Nappa,” Gohan said. “He came from the same base that Vegeta came from.”

Base? Bra thought to herself. What base? Mom had never said anything about a base before. Dad never said anything, so she didn’t expect it out of him. She looked up at her brother and he looked just as floored by this as she felt.

“Oh…I forgot about him,” Goku said, laughing. “But didn’t Vegeta kill him? Do you really think that he’ll help us after that?” Their father killed this guy, and they were looking for this Nappa to help them? What were they thinking?

Gohan laughed. “Yes, that did happen, but considering who Vegeta is to Nappa, I doubt that he’ll be mad at Vegeta for long.”

Bra was getting annoyed with all of this. Why were they saying some things but not everything? Why didn’t they just tell them the truth? Their father’s past couldn’t be that bad.

Bulma nodded at Gohan. “Goku, the dragon radar is in my lab. It’s in the big cabinet. Go and find the dragonballs and bring them back here.”

“I’ll help you, Dad,” Gohan said. “With two of us, it will take no time.”

Goku nodded and instant transmitted away with his oldest son. Goten and Pan sat down next to Bra and Trunks. They were just as clueless as the Briefs children. “Why did that guy want your dad?” Pan asked, as everyone else cleared out of the room.

“I don’t know. No one’s really said anything,” Bra said.

“They keep dropping hints everywhere,” Trunks said. “I just want them to come out with it.”

Goten nodded. “Even my Dad isn’t saying anything and he sucks with secrets.”

Bra felt her eyes start to tear up again. The last thing she said to her father was running though her head. That wasn’t it though; it was the fact that he just accepted it. He didn’t argue with her about it. It was like he already knew it. The problem was that she didn’t mean it. She just wanted a response from him. Now it looked like she would never see him again.

Trunks looked down at his sister. He knew that she had to feel horrible. She had told their father that she had hated him. He knew why she had said it; hell, he had thought of saying it more than once. “I’m just wondering why it has to stay in the dark.”

Pan shrugged. “Who knows?”

They noticed how dark it was outside. Even without the moon it didn’t get that dark. The dragonballs must have been recovered. The teens and young adults stood and made their way out the door to where their parents were.

They could see a glowing body forming in front of them, followed by the dragon disappearing and the balls going off in different directions.

The light faded and a rather tall, muscular, bald man was standing in front of them. The giant looked around. “Where the hell am I?” Nappa said before looking down at those around him. “Kakarot?”

“Nappa,” Goku answered.

“But…but I’m dead. Vegeta killed me,” Nappa said, backing up. At the same time, he felt his back. “My back…”

“The dragon repaired it when you were brought back,” Bulma answered.

“But Vegeta wanted me dead…I was crippled…” Nappa couldn’t think of anything else.

“That’s why we brought you back!” Bulma said getting frustrated. “We need your help finding Vegeta!”

Nappa looked at the woman that was yelling at him. “Why do you need to find him?” He didn’t dare to hope. There was no way that Vegeta came out of that…did he?

“He’s my husband!” Bulma said angrily. “He’s…” Before Bulma could finish her sentence, Nappa was bowing at her feet. Bra and Trunks stared at the giant in shock.

“MY PRINCESS!” Nappa said. He truly couldn’t believe it. If Vegeta took a wife, he had to be free of Frieza’s power.

Bulma turned red. “Umm…Nappa, you don’t have to do that. I’m not a princess.” She did want to laugh though.

“But you married the Prince. That makes you a princess…unless you would prefer queen…?” Nappa asked, still bowing.

“Prince?” Bra said in shock. That couldn’t be right.

“What do you mean by that?” Trunks asked.

Bulma giggled. “Nappa, these are Vegeta’s children, Bra and Trunks.”

Nappa’s eyes went wide as he got up from Bulma’s feet only to bow at theirs. “A Prince and a Princess…this is better than I expected…”

“You still haven’t answered my question. How am I a Prince?” Trunks said, getting angry.

“You’re a Prince of the saiyan people. The son of Prince Vegeta of Planet Vegeta,” Nappa said proudly. Trunks looked over at his mother only to find her giggling. It was true. His father was a prince. “I never expected the Prince to take a family. What has happened in the years since my death?”

“A lot has happened,” Bulma stated. “Including the discovery of the super saiyan and the destruction of Frieza.”

“Frieza…he’s gone.” There was a look of joy on Nappa’s face. “So, they all got away then…”

Now that was new. Bulma looked down at Nappa. “What does that mean?”

Nappa began to pull himself off of the ground. “Do you not know about the others?”

“Others?” Goku asked. “You mean there were other saiyan survivors?”

Nappa nodded. “Including Kakarot and myself, it makes the number ten.”

“Ten!” Bulma said in shock. She only knew about Raditz and Nappa, who were these others?

“Yes, they were an elite fighting force. Each of them had a part to play on the battlefield. For the most part, I got in the way of them,” Nappa said.

“Even my brother?” Goku asked.

“I have an Uncle?” Goten said.

Nappa didn’t look at Goten, only focusing on Kakarot. “You have two. Both of them were in that squad.” Nappa’s voice sounded disgusted. “As long as I live…I’ll never forgive that lizard.”

Goku wondered what Nappa was talking about. “What happened?”

Nappa sighed. “It’s a long story, Kakarot.” He wasn’t really ready to tell them everything yet. “You said you needed help finding the Prince. Why do you need me?”

Goku became serious. “Someone has used the dragonballs. They brought Frieza back to life, and he’s taken Vegeta. We need to know where the base is so we can go rescue him.”

Nappa’s hope disappeared. “You want to go running into that horror…”

Goku nodded. “We have to.”

“I want my husband back,” Bulma said angrily.

Nappa sighed. “You can’t just run into Frieza’s base. It’s heavily protected.”

“That doesn’t matter to me,” Bulma said.

Nappa gave her a half smile. “You would have been a great queen. It’s no wonder why the Prince chose you.”

Bulma sighed. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Nappa moved around and shifted his tail, making Bra and Pan scream. “What is that?!”

Nappa looked down at his tail. “It’s a tail,” he said bluntly.

Goku laughed. “All saiyans have tails.”

“But you don’t have one, Grandpa!” Pan said, still freaking out.

“I used to have one. It just got cut off,” Goku answered. “The same thing happened to Vegeta and Gohan.”

“Does that mean that we had tails…?” Trunks couldn’t help but try to check his backside.

Bulma giggled. “You didn’t have one, Trunks, but Bra did.”

Bra looked mortified. “I had a tail…” This wasn’t happening. She was a freak.

Nappa sighed. “Saiyans are supposed to have tails.”

“I miss mine from time to time,” Goku said. “It was pretty handy when you needed to wash your back.”

“I would prefer to stay human when the moon comes out though,” Gohan said.

“Stay human…” Goten said.

Gohan started to laugh. “Yeah, with a tail you can turn into a giant monkey. I think it happened to me a couple of times.”

“The Ozzaru form is one of honor,” Nappa said. “Pure primal rage, only a select few have ever been able to master its power.”

Bra and Trunks were just staring at the bald man as if he was insane. “Who the hell mastered that…?” Bra asked.

Nappa looked down at the two royals. “Your father was the first to master it in 2,000 years. It was what secured his rank as the crowned prince.”

Bulma froze. “Nappa…did Vegeta have any siblings?” She had never pondered the idea before.

Nappa laughed. “Well, yeah. Every saiyan has at least two children. There were two Princes on Planet Vegeta: Prince Vegeta and Prince Tarble.” Nappa began to think back. “It was hard to separate them as children. Vegeta was the fighter, but at the same time had the mind of a seasoned general at three, while Tarble was the crafty one, I swear the boy could get anyone to do anything. If Frieza had never shown up, Vegeta would have been King, while Tarble would have been a politician. Their lives were planned for them from the moment they were born. Even their mates were chosen for them.”

Bulma gave Nappa a look. “My husband… was betrothed to another?”

Chichi, who was tired of listening, thought of something. “If every saiyan has at least two children, did you have any?”

Bulma was about to shake her head, but Nappa nodded. “I had two kids, a boy and a girl. My girl was supposed to mate with Vegeta… I think you all know what happened to that.” Nappa said nothing more. His depression only got worse.

Bulma sighed as she processed this, but there wasn’t time for that. “We can’t just stand around and do nothing. My husband is still out there. He needs to come home. Nappa, will you help me?”

Nappa wanted to say no. He really wanted no part of anything with the name Frieza attached to it, but… “I will help you. As a servant to the royal house and leader of the first class, it is my duty to follow any order you give me.”

Bulma wasn’t sure about the order thing, but she would take it. “I have a ship. We can leave at dawn.” Everyone nodded. “Now come on, kids. We have to get some sleep,” Bulma said. “Nappa can stay with us.”

Nappa looked grateful for the place to stay and they were off.

Chichi sighed, going to stand next to Goku. “You’re going to go with them, aren’t you?”

Goku nodded. “There’s more to this than I knew. If I have another brother, I want to know him.”

Chichi nodded. “Just come back to me, okay?”

Gohan sighed. “Videl’s not going to like this.” Chichi looked over at her oldest questioningly. “I’m going too. Pan and Goten need to see the real world, so I don’t think it will hurt for them to go.”

Goten and Pan were in shock. “But…”

They expected Chichi to get angry, but no, she only smiled. “If it’s for their education, I don’t see anything wrong with it. They’ll probably learn a lot about the different planets.” Goten stared at his mother, hoping that she would change her mind. He had had plans for next week. “Maybe it will keep a certain someone from going after girls like a hawk.”

Pan giggled next to him. “That’s your own fault.”

* * *

 

Frieza walked through the medical wing and looked down at all of the tanks in front of him. Raditz stood at his side. “It looks like we’ve found all of them, my Lord,” Raditz said with a grin.

Frieza chuckled darkly as he pushed a button and the tanks began to open. Steam filled the room as each saiyan walked forward, each more glorious than the last.

Finally, the one he was waiting for stood and walked forward in the armor that marked him as one of Frieza’s men. The man walked forward and grabbed a red scouter off of a table, before attaching it is ear. It beeped to life. “Lord Frieza, what is going on?” Vegeta looked around the room. It looked different than he remembered it.

“My elites, I hate to say that we hit a snag. You’ve been in a coma for quite a long time,” Frieza said, laying it on thick.

A coma? Vegeta thought it over. That would explain why he felt older. “How long have we been out?” he asked, looking over his squad.

“Years, Prince Vegeta,” Raditz said. It was odd; it looked like Raditz hadn’t aged at all. Vegeta chalked it up to the tank.

“We’ll need some training before we return to the field,” Vegeta said.

“I understand. I’ve already provided a room for that,” Frieza said. “You will be taken to your quarters after that. The building had to be moved, but you still have your own facility.”

Vegeta smirked. “Excellent.” He looked over at his squad. “Let’s get going.”

There were some grunts, but they did what they were asked. They were probably just coming out of the funk from being in a coma. Vegeta did wonder how they were put under like that. It must have been something really big if he didn’t remember it.

Everyone else had walked out already as Vegeta turned to follow them. “Oh, and Vegeta?”

Vegeta stopped. “Yes, Lord Frieza?”

“It’s good to have you back.” Frieza grinned.

Vegeta smirked and looked back at his master. “It’s good to be back, My Lord.”

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Vegeta’s eyes scoured the walls of the room he had just walked into, everything looked new. But that was to be expected. The saiyan prince couldn’t believe that he had been out of commission for so long. It was nerve-racking really. He hated the idea of being left behind in the dust.

He looked over at his team, staring at how much they had changed. Some looked like time had stood still, while other’s bared the marks of change. “Are you going to say anything, Prince?” Vegeta was knocked from his thoughts and looked up, finding the tallest of his command looking down at him.

“I’m just trying to wrap my mind around it, Onuin.” The bulky man was known as the tank of their group. He could take hit after hit without a problem. The tank had lost some of his hair; it had to be falling out. The man was Nappa’s son after all.

“I know what you mean.” Vegeta’s eyes turned to find his brother, Tarble, standing there. “How the fuck did someone manage to take all of us out at the same time?” The older prince watched as his brother stuffed some sharp objects into his armor, followed by a couple of vials. It really wasn’t a mystery to those that knew. Prince Tarble was an assassin.

“That’s what I want to know,” Turles said, walking over to a nearby computer. The spy was going through the ship’s database, looking for answers.

Vegeta nodded as one of the females walked over towards Turles, staring at the screen. “I wonder why Frieza didn’t tell us more?” Mata said. She had long hair, but not nearly as long as Raditz’s. She was short, but still nowhere near as short as Tarble. Her armor had a dark purple look to it, which made sense for a snipper to have. Vegeta wanted to laugh as Mata came behind Turles, making the spy jump. They all knew those two had a thing for each other.

“I think you know why.” Mata’s brother, Negi, walked forward, looking frustrated. His normally slicked back hair was done in a strange way, with a wavy look to it. Negi was trying to get it back to normal, slicking his hand across his head to get it to stay back, but his hair kept springing forward for some odd reason. His armor only had one shoulder pad on it, but was lighter in its color scheme. “I swear to Kami, that whatever medical tech did this, will pay!” he growled, speeding over to stand between his sister and Turles.

“Then enlighten us.” Negi froze in place as he turned to find the last member of their team. Cilica was the shortest female and the sister of Onuin. She may have only been known as a thief, but they all knew not to cross her. She was the second in command, who could easily take out targets with ease. Her small size just meant that she was good at getting into small places. Her hair was very short, barely going under her chin. “Well, Negi? We’re waiting.”

Negi backed away, then sighed. “They’re keeping something from us.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes. “You know that Lord Frieza has his reasons. We don’t question them.” They all turned to stare at him. “We’re expected to be out and on the front lines soon. Instead of wasting our time on that funny business, we can train and get stronger.” Cilica made to object. “The truth will come out sooner or later, but I don’t want to be standing around wasting time when that day comes.”

“The Prince is right.” All of their eyes turned to stare at Raditz. The long maned saiyan had a wild smirk on his face. “We haven’t run a mission as a team in a long time. I say we have some fun.”

Vegeta watched the bomber with caution. “Maybe you can clue us in to what’s been going on over the last 25 years.”

“Vegeta’s right, what have you been doing?” Turles asked his brother. “And why do you look so young?” It was true that none of them had looked as if they had aged, but Raditz still had that young adult smell. It was like he was still in his late 20’s.

Raditz sighed. “Unlike the rest of you, I didn’t get to sleep in a fucking heal tank. I was dead.”

Vegeta raised his eyebrow. The others chatted amongst themselves, thinking Raditz was lying, but the prince felt something peculiar. Vegeta shook his head. There was no way something like that was possible. “Explain then. How did Frieza do it?”

Raditz turned red. “I don’t really know. One second I was dead; the next I was on Namek.”

“Maybe Lord Frieza has obtained that kind of power in the time that we were out?” Mata pondered.

“That would make sense,” Onuin said. “He does have the power of a god.”

Mata nodded in agreement. “That must be how we were able to wake up as well. He must have done something to get revitalizing powers.”

Negi smirked. “That’s so bad ass. I wouldn’t think anything less from our lord and master.”

Cilica laughed. “If that’s the case, we’re unstoppable. Frieza’s chosen us to join him in the destruction of the galaxy.”

Vegeta frowned, but he wasn’t the only one. Turles looked suspicious. “But what if we’re wrong?”

“Stop being a stick in the mud, Turles,” Negi said, giving the spy a glare.

“I agree with Turles.” Everyone looked down at Tarble. “We shouldn’t celebrate too soon. We can only wait.”

“I agree with Negi,” Oniun said. “Lord Frieza’s power must have grown.”

“But we have no evidence of that,” Mata argued. “Aren’t you two the least bit suspicious?” the snipper said.

“We’re alive,” Negi growled, then smirked. “I’m just happy that I can get back to breaking some necks.” He was annoyed that his sister agreed with him until Turles opened his mouth.

“You got that right,” Oniun joked with him.

Cilica rolled her eyes, looking straight at Vegeta. “What do you think?”

The prince thought everything over while they all turned to him. “We’ll keep this conversation between us, but we have a job to do. Our job is to clear planets for Frieza. I say that we do our assignments, and let the answers come to us.”

“Really?” Cilica gave him a grin.

Vegeta nodded. “Now let’s get some training done. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Raditz chuckled. “Amen to that.”

* * *

Bulma looked up at the ship. She was shaking a little. The last time she had been in space was back when she went to Namek. She smiled sadly at her memories of that place, the place where her life with Vegeta really began. She had to laugh at herself, remembering the dream she had on that planet. She believed that he would kill her. Bulma wished she could talk to her younger self.

“Mom?” Bulma looked over and found Bra standing there with a bag. “How far do you think we’re going to have to go?”

She gave her daughter a smile. “I don’t know. But I’ll go as far as it takes.” The scientist sighed. She already missed her husband.

Trunks came out of the house with a bag of his own. “Doesn’t one of us need to stay here and look after Capsule Corp?” He asked.

Bulma giggled, seeing that both of her children were reluctant about going into space. “Your grandfather’s got it covered; besides it will do you some good.”

“But mom, how do we know that we can trust that Nappa guy?” Bra whined.

“Goku and Gohan are around, we should be fine,” Bulma said, letting a robot take her bag onto the ship. “And I’m willing to take that chance.”

Trunks and Bra looked at each other and then at their mother. “Mom?” Bra asked.

“What?” Bulma wandered what they were thinking.

“How do you love dad?” Bra asked, looking away.

Bulma felt confused by the question. “Umm, why are you asking that?”

Trunks sighed. “We’ve just always wondered how you ended up with someone like dad after being with someone like Yamcha.”

Her eyes went wide as she stared at her children. “What kind of question is that?! Of course I would choose your father over Yamcha!” She felt angry. “Have you not thought about what your father has done for you over the years?!”

Trunks and Bra looked off to the side. “Forget I asked,” Trunks said, getting a little angry himself. Why couldn’t they just answer their questions?

“Like train,” Bra quipped.

“Excuse me?” Bulma rounded on her daughter. “If I remember correctly, your father protected you before he was taken.”

Bra still glared up at her mother. “If he was as strong as he says he is, he could have taken out that guy!”

“My, my, it looks like she has Vegeta’s temper,” Nappa said walking behind them, making Trunks and Bra jump.

Bulma giggled. “You could say that.”

Bra glared at the large saiyan. “I’m nothing like my father!”

Nappa only laughed at that, but said nothing. Instead, he turned to Bulma. “So we are waiting on Kakarot and his children?”

Bulma nodded. “Yes, Goku will just transmit them here when they’re ready. I believe that Pan is coming too.”

On cue, Goku appeared. Both Goku and Gohan looked like they were in good spirits, but Pan looked like she wanted nothing to do with the trip they were about to take. “Sorry for the hold up. Someone had to cancel a date.” Gohan said with an amused smirk. Goten looked away from his brother grumbling to himself.

“So are we going to head towards Namek first?” Bulma asked.

“Why are we going there?” Nappa asked.

Goku also looked confused, but Gohan smiled. “Frieza would have been brought back with the Namekian Dragonballs. There might be some clues on where they might be.”

“But I thought that we were going to Frieza’s base?” Trunks asked. Bra, Pan, and Goten were also confused by the change of plan.

“Because they could be anywhere,” Bulma pointed out. “Frieza will be sending your father out on missions.”

“What kind of missions?” Bra pondered. Finally, it looked like her father had gotten a job.

Nappa took a deep breath. “You don’t want to know.” The large saiyan looked back to the rest of the group. “We may want to go by the galactic patrol headquarters and Vencarzu 4. The patrol may not be the best, but some of their patrollers can do their jobs.”

“What about Vencarzu 4?” Gohan asked.

“It’s a slum planet. Nothing but gangs fighting over turf wars, but it’s one of the best places to get information,” Nappa said, “among other things.”

“Like what?” Goten asked. He couldn’t help but be curious.

“Anything…if you can pay for it,” Nappa said.

“Let’s not think about that,” Bulma said. “Let’s get out of here and head towards Namek. I have a feeling that we’ll get some info there.”

“Vencarzu 4 is closer,” Nappa said. “If my old contact is there, then we should get a lot.”

Gohan nodded. “Then we should go there first. The ship doesn’t look fancy, so no one will be after it.”

“We don’t know that,” Nappa said.

“I agree with Bulma. I’m tired of waiting,” Goku said. “Let’s get out in space. We can figure out our next move from there.”

Bulma gave her oldest friend a smile. “You heard Goku.” She turned back to the teens and young adults. “Get on the ship.”

They grumbled as they boarded the ship, followed by Nappa, Gohan, and Goku. Bulma stared at it sadly one last time before boarding. She was going to find her husband. ‘Don’t get in too much trouble, Vegeta.’ She thought to herself as she got on the ship.

* * *

Goten plopped himself down next to Trunks, but he didn’t include himself in the rest of the teens conversation. He was staring over at his father and Gohan. The youngest Son frowned. They both looked so excited for this trip, going on and on about their old adventures.

He hated being left out of the group. He sighed, which got Trunks’s attention. “What are you thinking about, Goten?”

“Nothing much,” Goten answered.

“Are you sure about that?” Pan said, giggling. “Not thinking about that date of yours?”

Trunks laughed. “Your mom cock blocked you.”

Bra gave him a look, then a nod, but she didn’t say anything.

Goten turned red, giving her a nod back. “That’s not what I was thinking about,” he grumbled, turning away from them, only to watch his father and Gohan laughing about something with Nappa.

If only he could get that kind of attention from his father. He had tried everything he could think of, but for whatever reason it never worked. He dropped out of college due to partying, but that was just because he didn’t want to be a scholar. His activities had led to trouble, but no one besides Bra needed to know about that.

He kind of wished he was able to go on all of those adventures of his father, but now that he was on one, Goten couldn’t help but feel useless. He wasn’t trained properly, like Gohan.

He shook his head, thinking about the planet they were set to go to. Nappa said they could find anything for a prince. It probably wouldn’t hurt to go looking for something. There had to be something to make him stronger there.

Goten leaned back against the wall. His mind was forming a plan. He had to get separated from the group. It was the only way he could stand on the same level as them.

* * *

Vegeta chuckled as they finished their training session. “That went better than I expected.” He really did feel stronger than he remembered.

“I know,” Cilica said, stretching her arms before turning to Negi. “What about you?”

Negi growled, completely out of breath. “Shut up.”

Vegeta turned back to the speed attacker. “You and Onuin will stay here and train. The rest of us will go eat.”

“But, Vegeta…” Onuin made to object.

“You two are behind. I don’t know why, but even a saibaman could out-speed you, Negi, while one hit would take out this oaf,” Vegeta said with a grin, knowing that it would piss the two of them off.

As he thought, Negi turned red with anger. Onuin just sighed. “We’re better than that trash!”

“Prove it,” Vegeta said with a smirk.

Negi threw a punch, hitting the prince in the side if the face. After he realized what he had done, he backed away. “Now…Vegeta…I.”

Vegeta growled. “You dare to cheap shot ME!” In a blinding flash of yellow, the prince’s body was surrounded in electricity. Vegeta stopped what he was doing and stared at the flickering glow.

“Wow,” Mata said. “How did you…?” She stared.

“What?” Vegeta asked, moving over to a metal wall, he could see his reflection. His hair was spikier and yellow. His eyes green.

“That can’t be…” Tarble said walking up to him.

“The legend,” Vegeta finished his brother’s sentence. “When did I?”

“Who knows?” Cilica said. “Maybe it’s linked to our coma though?”

Turles stared at the prince as Vegeta turned back. “That is an interesting theory.” He turned red as Mata stood next to him.

Mata giggled. “I guess you’ll be training here for a while, won’t you big bro?”

Negi groaned under his breath and Onuin sighed, resigning themselves to the training room.

As the group walked, they noticed that one of their number was gone. “Where’d Raditz run off to?” Mata asked.

Cilica laughed. “He’s running low on parts. He probably went to grab himself some supplies from central.”

They walked into the mess hall and it went quiet. Everyone had stopped to stare at the saiyan horde. Vegeta chuckled to himself as they sat down, finding that their food was being brought to them. This would be their last meal here. The facility was up and running, so there would be no point to come back.

“I thought you would all be in the training room,” Raditz said, walking up to their table and sitting down.

“We thought you went for supplies,” Tarble said, crossing his arms.

“I did,” Raditz said. “It looks like central is out.”

“So now what?” Mata asked.

Cilica giggled. “He’s going to have to go get some.”

“Do you need an escort?” Tarble teased.

“Actually, I want Turles to come with me. There might be come good information there,” Raditz said.

Turles smirked. “I’m fine with that.” He stretched his arms. “It will be good to get out of this base.”

Vegeta nodded. “Keep your eyes open.”

“What do you take us for, Vegeta?” Raditz said with a grin.

Turles smirked. “Vencarzu 4 will have to keep an eye open for us.”

To Be Continued…


	5. Chapter 5

The planet wasn’t that far off. Bulma and the others could see it outside of one of the windows as they approached it. The planet was lit up, but she knew that it probably wasn’t for good reasons. From what Nappa said, this place as a cesspool. “So, what are we going to do after we land?” She asked.

“We need to find my old contact, Mercalin. He may still be the leader of district 3.” Nappa said.

“What does he look like?” Goku asked.

“Have you seen a frog?” Nappa answered, and everyone nodded. “Imagine a giant purple toad with blue lips.”

Goten couldn’t help but laugh at that. Gohan glared as his brother. “We have to show him some respect, Goten.”

“But how can I not laugh at something like that?” Goten argued. “It’s funny and you know it.”

Gohan sighed. “No, it’s not.”

Nappa ignored the brothers. “I think we should split up when we get down there. Some of us should stay on the ship to protect it, while the rest of us go to speak with Mercalin.”

“I vote that Goten stays.” Gohan said, offering for his brother to remain with the ship.

“Why?!” The younger brother said, slightly offended.

Gohan sighed. “You’re not going to take any of this seriously. You’d spend all of your time laughing at the contact and we would probably get in some dangerous shit. This isn’t play time.”

Goten glared at his brother, but wasn’t able to say anything. “I agree with Gohan. Goten can stay here.” Goku said, looking over at Trunks. “Are you going to go?”

Trunks nodded. “If it means I can get some answers, I’ll go.”

Nappa chuckled. “It would be good for you. So we all agree that Goten will look after the ship.”

Bulma sighed. “I wish I could go, but I should probably run some diagnostics and the girls passed out about an hour ago, so the three of us will stay with Goten.”

Goten stared at them all. This wasn’t fair. They were leaving him behind on purpose. He sat down, he could try and sneak out while Bulma was doing the diagnostics. They would probably be far away anyway.

Everyone ran to sit down as the ship began to enter the atmosphere. Some even buckled up.

Once they broke through the atmosphere and could see the open world of the planet, everyone gagged. The city was filled with smoke that made the sky, a dark ashy color. The ground looked just as gloomy, the only things with a faint amount of color had to be the street lamps, but it looked like they were fading. There was a thin layer of smog that draped itself around everything.

As they landed, everyone could see about two or three ships take off. “They must be taking some cargo out of here.”

“What could they be taking?” Goten asked.

“Why do you care so much?” Trunks asked him.

“I’m just curious.” Goten sighed. He wasn’t in the mood to argue.

Trunks rolled his eyes, moving over by Gohan and Goku. Nappa was already at the door.

As Goten looked at them, he couldn’t help but feel jealous. His father had asked Trunks if he wanted to go and didn’t even bat an eye about Gohan telling him to stay. Why did they even bring him along?

The four said their goodbyes then left the vessel, leaving him to look after the ship. Bulma giggled. “I’ll be down in the engine room if you need me. The girls are sleeping, so please be quiet.”

She walked off, leaving him alone. Goten closed his eyes, sensing the others. He had to wait about 10 minutes and they were far enough for him to sneak out.

Staying as quiet as possible, Goten snuck out the door and onto the planet. He knew that they would be mad, but at this point he didn’t give a shit. He was off to find his destiny.

* * *

 

Trunks cringed at the planet around them. This place stunk. How did everyone keep a straight face? Did his father really come here at one time?

“Keep up, Trunks.” Gohan said. He was glad that Trunks was taking this seriously. If only Goten could do that. It was starting to become an issue with his brother. Gohan just couldn’t understand why Goten was being so difficult.

“Yeah.” Trunks said, as Nappa walked them over to a strange building.

“Here’s the place.” The old saiyan said, pushing a button that lit up a screen.

“What is your business?” The voice said, severely.

Nappa knew that voice. “Open the door, Grimsey.”

“Oh look, the old ape has come to visit.” Grimsey said from the other side.

“I need to speak with Mercalin.” Nappa urged. “It’s very important.”

“He’s not-.” The voice cut off.

“Don’t you dare send him away, you little tadpole.” The saiyan couldn’t help but smirk as he heard the voice of his old contact. The door started to open. “You may come in, Nappa.”

The group headed in, and Trunks couldn’t help but stare at everything new around them. There were brighter colors in the building, he guessed that it was frog’s personal style.

They walked into an elevator that began to take them up. “All of the district bosses live in the air. It’s safer than the ground.” Nappa pointed up.

Gohan nodded. “You really think this guy is going to have the information we need?”

“He may not have everything we need, but it’s a good place to start.” Nappa stated. “Merc may even know where the others are.”

“You haven’t said that much about the others.” Goku said. “You said that Turles, Raditz, and Vegeta’s brother were among them, but who else?”

Nappa sighed. “My children and the leader of the second class’s children.”

Goku when quiet. “That must have been hard.”

“Yes…” Nappa frowned. “I had to watch as my children were turned into killing machines.”

Gohan and Goku nodded, but Trunks had a question. “Is that what happened to my father?”

Nappa gave Trunks a grim look. “Basically, he would have learned how to fight either way, but under Frieza, all of them were turned into walking nightmares.” The elevator dinged and they all got out, entering what looked like a fancy apartment.

Trunks snuck a gander out a nearby window. They weren’t that high up. But he could see the street below where someone was being held down and beaten to death. “Don’t look at it,” Gohan said. “remember why we’re here.”

Trunks nodded as they walked into a room that looked like a living room. There he saw the giant toad that Nappa was talking about, smoking on some kind of pipe. They followed Nappa’s actions sitting down across from the frog.

“It’s been a while, Old Man.” The frog like alien croaked.

Nappa smirked. “It has been. I really haven’t been in this world.”

The frog only nodded. “So what business has brought you here?”

“Frieza is back.” Nappa started.

“You want to know about the saiyan horde?” The toad said, smoking on his pipe. All of them nodded and the toad sighed. “Frieza made to collect them all. Each of them had turned over a new leaf. They were torn from their homes by Frieza’s soldiers.”

“Anything else?” Trunks didn’t mean to sound impatient, but they already knew this.

“Calm down boy.” Nappa said. “Let the man breath.”

The toad coughed, then continued. “Frieza acquired some serum from the Fox Shade plant.”

“What is that?” Gohan couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s a plant that’s nectar can be made into a serum that effects the mind.” Nappa answered.

“It deletes memories.” The Frog said, calmly. “I’ve only used it once, powerful stuff. Only a couple of milliliters is needed to delete five years of your life from your memory.”

Trunks just stared at the frog in shock. “They’re going to make my dad forget.”

“They have already forgotten.” Merc said, he was given questioning looks. “I have heard news that Raditz and Turles are on planet as we speak. Raditz was dead, I still have no idea how he was brought back, but Turles wouldn’t be working for Frieza without it.”

Goku leaded forward. “Why would you say that?” He figured that Raditz was a lost cause, but that didn’t mean he could give up on Turles.

“Turles ran away from Frieza 5 years before Frieza was destroyed.” The toad answered.

“He took Mata and ran.” Nappa said. “They left in the middle of the night. Turles hacked the computer and stole a ship. We never did find them.”

Goku nodded, but the toad continued. “They had their reasons though. Turles and Mata had to protect their growing child.”

“So that’s why they ran off. I figured that they just wanted to be together. I didn’t know a child was involved.” Nappa smiled. “I remember when those two were small, Turles had it bad for Mata from the day they met.”

“How old were they?” Gohan asked.

“Turles was 3 and Mata was about 4.” Nappa answered.

“What has Turles been doing since then?” Goku pondered.

The toad laughed. “Mata and him would take odd jobs from time to time, but they basically settled down on a small rocky planet and lived off of the land. Two of their children work for the Patrol.”

“What about the others?” Nappa asked, they all knew why.

“Your son was injured on Piscina. While your daughter ended up joining the Galactic Patrol. I don’t know as much about them though as they kept their distance from this planet. Mata had a reason to come by here with Turles.” The toad answered, refilling his pipe.

“Don’t tell me that Negi was here.” Nappa said.

“He was.” The frog laughed. “That boy ended up marrying the boss from distract 2. He was the perfect little trophy husband. I never had the heart to say anything to his wife. She believes that he’s a little weakling.”

Nappa chuckled against the couch. “He was the second most dangerous one after Vegeta.”

“He was a good father to his children though. Rouge is still looking for him. She thinks he was kidnapped so that they could get to her.” The toad said.

Nappa nodded. “Anything else?”

“Well, I do know that Prince Tarble married a princess on Planet Tech-Tech. But again that’s all I have for information on that matter.” The toad said.

Nappa nodded. “That’s all I needed.” He turned to the rest of them. “It looks like Namek is our next stop.”

“No, it won’t be.” The toad said. “Frieza destroyed it after his resurrection.”

Trunks couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How did someone just destroy a planet? He felt Gohan’s hand on his shoulder. “I know it looks bad, but you’ll get used to that.”

Nappa pulled something out of a capsule that they didn’t know that he had. “I got you a rare delicacy this time.”

“What is it?” The toad asked.

It opened and the table in front of them was filled with insects. “Straight from Earth.”

The toad gave him a nodded. “Very good.”

Nappa stood. “Come on, let’s get back to the ship.” They gave the toad a bow before they left him to his meal.

Trunks was still thinking over all of this. He finally had one piece to the puzzle, but he would need more to figure out his father’s past.

* * *

 

Goten pushed through the crowds. He got a couple of funny looks, but he wasn’t too concerned. He could take care of himself.

He was confused as he walked close to a strange fence. He could see numbers painted across the ground. This was district 1. Goten shrugged and jumped the fence going into the foreign territory. 

He noticed the stares, people were starting to follow him. He growled, this wasn’t going to turn out well. He could only imagine what his father and Gohan would say to him if he caused a ruckus.

Goten kept going, trying to keep his distance from them. It got to the point where he wasn’t looking forward, so when he ran into someone, he jumped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He felt like his heart stopped as he stared up. “Dad, I can explain!”

The man blinked at him, then looked over at another man with really long hair. “Do you know who this is, Raditz?”

Goten shook his head. He remembered that name. That was his Uncle…that meant that he had run into his other Uncle.

Raditz looked a little freaked out for a second. “No… I don’t have a clue.”

Goten put his hands up. “Look, I think I should get-.”

“He smells like a saiyan, but at the same time…there’s something else.” Turles looked over Goten. “Are you some kind of half breed?”

Goten just nodded, fearful of anything these two could do to him.

Raditz relaxed. “This is Kakarot’s spawn.”

Goten heard the name that Vegeta called his father. “You would be right…”

“Kakarot is probably here.” Raditz said with a growl.

“What about him?” Turles asked.

“Turles, how did you think I died. That traitor turned his back on our kind.” Raditz sneered.

“My dad isn’t a traitor.” Goten snapped.

“Oh look, the little half breed has some bite to him.” Turles said, noticing a flicker in the boy’s eyes.

Raditz laughed at that. “Too bad that he’s not going to be able to use it.”

Goten had no time to react as a small bomb rolled next to his feet. He expected an explosion, but only found gas coming from it. He coughed a couple of times before dropping against Raditz.

Turles chuckled. “I’m glad that you can breathe through that shit.”

“What? You don’t want to drag me back?” Raditz teased.

Turles only grinned. “We’re already dragging the boy back; I don’t want the extra weight.”

“You want to take him to Frieza?” Raditz smirked.

“For all we know, he could be of some use. Besides, we can just tell Kakarot that’s his payment for killing you.” Turles said with an evil grin.

Raditz looked down at the boy. “Some time acting like a real saiyan will do him some good.” He ruffled Goten’s hair before tossing him over his shoulder. “Just look at that hair.”

“Like you’re one to talk.” Turles quipped.

Raditz only laughed. “I was born with this look. I can tell that the boy wasn’t. I think he’s got some kind of gel on it.”

Turles rolled his eyes. “Do you have the parts you need?”

The older brother nodded. “That I do, plus some extra baggage.”

Turles sighed. “Now I’m glad we brought the ship instead of that pod.”

Raditz laughed as they moved through the crowd, heading towards the landing bay.

The ship was waiting for them and Raditz tossed Goten on the floor as Turles started it up. Both of them began to laugh as the boy started to come to.

“Where am I?” Goten said, staring at the ceiling of the ship.

Raditz chuckled darkly. “You’re with the horde now.”

Goten laid there, letting the ship take off. He didn’t fight it. What would be the point? Maybe this was his destiny.

* * *

 

Bulma heard some rustling and knew that the others had to be back. She came out, her diagnostics were all good. “Did you find out anything useful?” She asked as Gohan looked around the ship.

Nappa and Trunks also looked confused, Goku was the one that looked angry. “I trusted him to stay with the ship.”

Gohan sighed. “It looks like Goten has run off.”

Bulma turned red in anger. “I didn’t even know that he slipped out!” They didn’t have time for this.

Trunks rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you try sensing him, Goku? Then you can Instant Transmit to where he is.”

Bulma smiled at her son giving him a nod as Goku checked, but she could see that Goku and Gohan were getting angrier. “He must have gotten a ship or something and left the planet.” Goku said. He couldn’t believe it. He trusted his son to look after the ship and he left his post. He knew that Goten didn’t want to fight, but this was ridiculous.

“He probably went so he could go on that date of his.” Gohan said, clearly peeved. “That selfishness could have cost us Bulma, Bra, and Pan.”

Goku sighed. Where did he go wrong with Goten?

Nappa cleared his throat. “I know that this is hard, but we need to get headed to the patrol. We can do a missing person’s there if we need to.”

Goku nodded as did Gohan. Goten wasn’t going to be able to live through the speech he was going to receive when they found him.

Trunks looked down at the floor. He really couldn’t believe that Goten had left his mother and sister there like that. Gohan was right. Goten was being selfish. “Let’s keep going. We need to find Dad.”

Bulma gave her son a smile. “Yes, we do.”


	6. Chapter 6

Goten didn’t say much more during their trip. He really didn’t know what to say. He had just been kidnapped by his uncles, but couldn’t bring himself to care. It wasn’t like this father was going to notice. Gohan was with him. He bet that as soon as he saw his father again, that he would be in for a lecture. They probably weren’t even worried about him. He shook his head. These thoughts were just making him depressed.

“So, you really aren’t going to do anything? How lame is that?” Raditz said, looking over at his brother. The explosives expert didn’t know what to think of his nephew. Unlike the other one, this boy seemed so disjointed. What did Kakarot do to the boy?

Turles sighed. “Take over the controls. I’m going to go and talk to him.”

Raditz nodded, but knew to listen in on what they were talking about.

Turles moved towards his nephew, staring down at the boy as he looked up at the ceiling. “You know…for a saiyan, you don’t have that much fight in you.”

Goten moved his gaze over to his uncle. “If you wanted the perfect fighter, you should have taken my brother.” He rolled over on his side, away from the full blooded saiyan.

“I never said anything about the perfect fighter. I was just wondering why you’re so calm about this.” Turles crossed his arms as he looked down at the boy.

Goten sighed, but didn’t answer. He had already said too much. Besides, he had to be sounding pitiful and from his uncle’s tone, that was not the place to be.

“So, you’re not going to answer me? At least give me your name,” Turles asked as Raditz listened.

“Goten,” the boy said his name, but stayed dejected.

Turles raised an eyebrow. “Goten, huh? What kind of name is that?”

Goten reared over and growled at his uncle. “It’s not like I had a choice!”

Turles’s frown disappeared. “So you do have some fight in you after all.” He moved closer to his nephew. “So tell me, what does your name mean? I’ve never heard your name, is it not saiyan?”

Goten gave his uncle a puzzled look. “Well…I was named after my father.”

Turles looked very confused by that. “But your father’s name is Kakarot.”

Raditz cleared his throat. “The baka hit his head, Turles. He didn’t remember anything about us saiyans when I found him. I believe he was going by the name of Goken or something like that.”

“Goku,” Goten said, looking down. He never knew that about his father, but it wasn’t like his father was going to tell him anything.

Turles sighed. “So Kakarot has thrown away his saiyan name? He truly is a fool then.” His eyes looked at Goten. “So you were named after him, why?”

Goten shifted up some. No one had asked this many questions about him before. “Because he died before I was born.” Raditz made to smirk, but frowned seconds later. “He was brought back when I was seven or eight.”

“How did he get brought back?” Now this was something that Turles wanted to know.

“Can we not talk about my father?” Goten looked away from them. He really should have known. This wasn’t about him. It was never about him.

Turles sighed as the boy refused to talk. It looked like they were finally getting somewhere, but now the boy looked more dejected than ever. “You realize that you’re going to be questioned as soon as we get back to base. Vegeta will want to know everything.”

Goten looked up in shock. Why didn’t Vegeta already tell them this? Did something happen to the man’s mind? Now that he thought about it, that would make sense. What would be keeping Vegeta and the others there if they didn’t. He knew that he should say something, but that wouldn’t be wise. He could do it little by little. That would probably be for the best, but it all came up to whether Vegeta believed him or not…and really why would Vegeta believe him? Trunks’s father wasn’t the trusting type.

“So wouldn’t it be better to tell me everything now?” Turles said with a grin. “I’m a lot less scary.”

Raditz chuckled. “Yeah, you could have me talking to you.”

Goten sighed. “I don’t really know that much though. I was kept out of the action.”

Turles pondered his nephew’s words. Did this mean that Kakarot didn’t think the boy could handle it? The boy really didn’t put up that much of a fight and was way too calm for any of this. “So you’re the runt then?”

Goten turned red and looked down at the floor of the ship. Was that why he was kept out of everything? Because he was weak? It made too much sense. Gohan was a prodigy at everything. Goten was a failure. “You could say that.”

Raditz noted the defeated tone of his nephew’s voice. Kakarot had really messed this kid up. Turles was about to push the boy further, but Raditz stopped him. “We’re going to land in about 5 minutes. You’ve always been better at landing these things than me.”

Turles nodded, walking away from his nephew and towards the controls. He looked at his brother as he passed him and could tell that Raditz was pitying the boy. “You know better than that.”

Raditz glared at him. “It looks like Kakarot has wounded him. That may play to our advantage.”

Turles’s frown turned into a smirk. “Why didn’t I think of that? Our prince may entertain that idea as well.”

Goten pulled himself off of the floor. He knew that he better be standing when they got there. He didn’t want to be dragged off of the ship. He moved towards the front as the two of them stared at him. Goten looked out, seeing the planet that they were going to land on. It didn’t look like anything special, but he knew that looks could be deceiving.

“Why don’t you just sit down. You can watch me as we land,” Turles said, flipping some switches. Goten watched everything his uncle did. Mainly because he had never been offered an opportunity to do so.

“You seem really good with technology,” Goten pondered.

Turles smirked. “Well, I am a spy by trade. Raditz is the bomber of the group, so he fills in the gaps.”

Goten looked over, finding Raditz leaning against the door frame. “What did you use to knock me out?” He couldn’t help but be curious.

He expected the long maned saiyan to laugh at him, but Raditz only smirked. “That was made from the Tola plant. There are a lot of synthetics on the market, but they don’t pack the same punch as the real deal.” Raditz was a little taken aback by his nephew’s interest in such a thing. “Why do you want to know?”

Goten turned red, then sighed. “I was just wondering. That’s all.”

Raditz looked over at his brother and Turles shrugged. The boy wasn’t saying as much as they hoped he would, but there was something there. He was sure of it.

The ship began to head down to the surface of the planet and Goten couldn’t help but wonder how Raditz was able to stand. The man had to be used to it.

Goten’s eyes scanned everything around them as they landed, the hanger was huge. This had to be Frieza’s base.

Raditz moved away from the wall, while Turles stood up. “Come with us.”

“Are you going to take me to Frieza?” Goten asked. He really didn’t want to go to Frieza, but he expected it.

Turles chuckled. “Why the hell would you want to go there?”

“You’re coming back with us to the horde,” Raditz said, putting some things in his pockets.

“But I thought…” Goten began.

“Trust me, if we take you to Frieza you’ll be nothing but fodder for him,” Turles said. “It’s better if you just go with us. You’ll be better protected with the group.”

Goten sighed. “Then why do you work for him?”

Raditz laughed. “He pays well and it’s not like anyone else will accept us. His power is like that of a god anyway.”

Turles nodded. “That it is.” He moved forward grabbing Goten’s arm. “So are you going to come quietly or are you actually going to fight me this time?”

The boy couldn’t help but feel angry as he looked at both of his uncles. He really didn’t like being treated like garbage. “I’ll go with you. The last thing we need is gunfire out there.” He moved past Turles as the saiyan smirked.

“So you do have a good head on your shoulders,” Raditz joked as they walked out into the hanger.

His uncles pushed through the crowd, but Goten kept up. It was hard to do though. The half saiyan was just so curious about the world around him. Something about the smell of this place felt right, but he didn’t understand why.

As they walked out of the hanger and towards a large building, Goten couldn’t help but feel at ease, which was weird. Why did he feel so comfortable all of a sudden?

“Okay, runt. Get in,” Raditz snapped at the boy and Goten obeyed, but stopped as he entered. It smelt glorious in here. There were jungle plants growing up the side of a nearby wall along with various other sounds echoing through the entry way.

“What is this place?” Goten asked.

“This is our quarters.” Turles smirked, seeing the look on his nephew’s face. This Goten was starting to be very intriguing.

“You live here?” Goten couldn’t believe that Frieza let them live in a place like this.

Raditz nodded as they walked forward. “The upper levels have dorm like rooms. We have an extra that you’ll be using. It used to belong to an old fart.”

“Below us is a training facility,” Turles stated.

Goten’s ears perked up at the idea of training. Not that they would let him train. He was a runt after all.

“We have a large cafeteria as well,” Turles said.

“You’re separate from the rest of the base?” Goten asked.

Raditz and Turles chuckled. “Us saiyans eat more than the average soldier. It would take too long to feed us if we went to the regular mess hall,” Turles explained.

Goten nodded as they began to walked forward. He could hear some laughter just ahead of him and was starting to get nervous. He had no idea what the rest of them would think of him. He was weak, with no training and no skills. This wouldn’t be any different than if he was still on the ship with his father and brother.

“Look who’s back.” Goten flinched as he looked over and saw a massive man who towered over everyone.

“We told you that it wouldn’t be long,” Raditz said. “I just needed some parts.”

“Parts?” Negi asked looking at the kid. “If you went for parts, then why did you bring back a kid?”

Goten felt really small right now. He didn’t say anything though.

Turles laughed. “We ran into some family while we were out.”

A female with longer hair walked over. “Family?” She looked between Turles and Goten with a disappointed look.

“He’s my nephew,” Turles said quickly.

Everyone turned to look at Raditz. “He’s our brother’s, Kakarot’s, spawn.”

“So Kakarot is still alive?” The shortest male pondered. “Where is he?”

“Probably still looking around for his kid,” Raditz said with a smirk. “That’s what that traitor gets for killing me.”

“So your brother killed you?” Cilica laughed. “How fitting.”

Raditz turned red. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Goten just watched as the group began to joke around. They didn’t seem that much different than the z fighters back home. He felt an ache in his chest. This was going to be the same. Maybe he should have put up a fight.

“What is all of that racket?!” Goten froze. He knew that voice. His eyes moved upward before resting on Vegeta. Trunks’s father was standing on a platform above them. He noted the man’s armor. It matched that of the others but still stuck out. The man’s eyes locked with his. “What do we have here?” Vegeta said, jumping down from the platform.

Goten stayed quiet as Turles started to explain, but Vegeta put up his hand to silence him. “The boy can talk, can’t he?”

Turles nodded and everyone turned to look at him. Goten turned red. “Umm…I”

“Spit it out, boy!” Vegeta snapped. “I need a name and skill set!”

Goten turned redder. “Goten…my name is Goten.”

Vegeta glared up at the boy. “What kind of name is that?”

“It’s the one my mother gave me,” Goten answered. They all seemed so hung up on his name for some reason.

“Fine then, what is your skill set?” Vegeta asked, taking mental notes. He already knew this was a traitor’s son, so the boy’s fear was within reason, but there was something off.

Goten didn’t want to answer, but he couldn’t be picky. “I don’t have one.”

Vegeta stared at the boy with a puzzled look. “You had to be trained in combat at some point.” Seriously, what kind of saiyan was this Kakarot if he hadn’t done that?

Goten shook his head. “My mother did some light training…but my father never showed an interest.”

The prince kept taking notes in his head. The look in the boy’s eyes had changed. He expected sadness or something pitiful from the runt, but instead there was a hint of anger. It was slight, but it was there. “Well, Runt, since you are here. You will have to earn your keep.” Vegeta smirked over at Onuin and Negi. “Let us go downstairs, those two will teach you your proper place.”

Negi grinned as Onuin followed. Goten stiffened as he was practically pushed down.

Mata pleaded. “Vegeta, he’s just a boy.”

Vegeta growled. “I’ll not have a runt bringing the rest of us down. The boy will gain a skill or die.” Goten stayed silent as he looked out at what seemed to be a gravity room. “Besides, Negi and Onuin are still out of practice.”

The two saiyan males growled. “I will not let you down, My Prince,” Negi said, flying into the room as Onuin followed. Negi smirked. “Come on, Runt, let’s play.”

To Be Continued…

 


	7. Chapter 7

Negi chuckled as he looked over the boy in front of him. “So come at me.” He did want to see what the boy had. This kid already said that he knew nothing, so this was bound to be fun. With Onuin at his side, there was no way that they could look like fools in front of the Prince. “So, kid, why are you still standing there? Try to hit us,” Negi shouted.

Goten just stood there and looked at the two of them. He had no hope of beating either of them. The massive one looked like he could snap him in two with just a glance.

“What’s taking you so long?” Onuin griped. “You’re a saiyan, aren’t you?”

Negi laughed. “What kind of clothes are those for a saiyan?” He couldn’t wrap his head around why anyone would want to wear anything so bland.  

Goten looked down at his clothes. “Everyone wears these where I’m from.” He looked at Negi’s hair. “And my clothes aren’t that odd when compared to your hair.”

Negi moved his hand up so he could slick back his hair and growled while Onuin chuckled. “That’s not funny! The regeneration tank fucked it up!” His eyes went back to the kid. “At least I don’t have some kind of gel holding my hair down like yours. What kind of animal died on your head?”

Goten frowned, glaring at Negi. “My hair will go back to normal after I take this shit out. Yours looks like it will stay that way forever.”

Negi couldn’t take any more and rushed the boy, punching him in the gut. “It’s time you learned respect, Runt!”

Goten felt a pain in his gut from where he had been punched. He could taste his blood in his throat. Over and over again, he was kicked in the gut. “Come on, Negi, he’s too weak for you go after seriously.”

Negi stopped looking up at his companion. “The runt has to earn his place.” He was about to send another kick to the kid’s gut, but was pushed to the ground as the kid rushed him. Negi didn’t have time to keep his eyes open. He only got a glimpse as the boy sat on top of him while punching him in the face.

Goten growled, his blood was running hotter than before. With each punch, he was getting angrier.

Onuin moved, grabbing the runt’s head and tossing him into a wall. He pulled Negi up and the smaller saiyan growled, wiping blood off the side of his face. “You’ll pay for that, Runt.”

Goten’s body ached as he slid down the wall, but as he looked up he stared at the two saiyans coming towards him. He watched Negi come closer and snarled, only to shake his head. He had never made that sound before. It confused him and distracted him as he was pulled up only to be punched in the chin. His face moved back to stare at his attacker. His mind was starting to go blank. The only thing coursing through his veins was anger. He snapped his teeth before kicking Negi in the stomach. Onuin made to grab him, but he flew upwards. Daring them to follow.

Negi smirked. “So you want to turn this into a sky battle, then?” He zoomed up and behind Goten without him noticing. “That’s fine by me.” He slammed his arm into the boy’s back, but the boy didn’t move. Negi felt the boy’s hand on him as he as tossed back to the ground. Negi growled as he pulled himself back up. His leg hurt, but he wasn’t going to stay down. He snarled, but later his eyes went wide as he watched the boy gathering energy in his hands.

Onuin barely moved in front of him in time, taking the blast. The large saiyan was about to say something as he stared down at his armor. There were holes in it. “What is this?”

Negi was sweating. “He’s making a fool of us.” He held his arm as he heard a chuckle over the speakers.

“I was right. You two are out of practice. Especially for a runt with no skills to take you out,” Vegeta chuckled. The prince was intrigued. Turles and Raditz had brought something interesting after all. He wanted to see more. “How about we raise the stakes?” He pushed a button and a false moon appeared.

Negi and Onuin, who had been frowning, smirked as they noticed the moon. They began to growl and snap as they transformed.

Goten’s anger faded for a second. He knew that Nappa had said something about giant apes, but he underestimated how large they were. How was he to know that they were larger than most buildings? He moved away from the giant apes. How was he supposed to win against a couple of monsters? Fear was trickling in. Hell, he had no idea how he was beating them before. He had just got lucky, that was it.

One of the apes howled, sending chills down his spine. He didn’t know what he was going to do as he was surrounded by them. All he could do was weave around them like an insect evading the swatting hands of a human. It made him feel even smaller.

It didn’t help that the apes were loud, disrupting his thoughts. How could he think under this kind of pressure? The face of his brother appeared in his head. Gohan was shaking his head back and forth with disapproval. He growled. Why was this showing up now? This was not the time for him to be thinking about his brother.

His mind flashed to his brother and father laughing on the ship. If his father had taught him like he had taught Gohan, then he wouldn’t be in this mess. If only he had been born first…Goten shook his head. That wouldn’t matter. He wasn’t Gohan.

His thoughts came to a screeching halt as he was batted against the wall of the training room. As he slid down the side, his body began to ache.

He would never be strong enough. He would never be good enough. His depression was getting the best of him as he got angrier and angrier. This wasn’t his fault. No one showed him anything. What made his father disregard him as a student?

Goten turned around, glaring up at the Ozzaru. His body was boiling. Those negative thoughts were running through his mind at unfathomable speeds. He didn’t even notice as he body changed into its super saiyan form. The Ozzaru didn’t stop, they only moved forward to snatch him, but he flew up through the pain. Not thinking at all about what he was doing. Those thoughts just kept going and it felt like nothing could turn them off. With each second, he was becoming wilder as the thoughts moved faster. Everything turned red as he landed in the middle of the room panting. He blinked a couple of times then looked behind him.

Both Negi and Onuin were back to their normal forms, but they were completely passed out. Goten looked down at his hands, they looked so raw, but he still remembered nothing. How did he not feel that? His hands stung now, but how could he miss something like that?

He heard the sound of laughter and looked over at the doorway as it opened. “Get those two out of here,” Vegeta said, looking at Cilica. “I want you to up their training, if they can’t beat a kid then what good are they?”

Mata giggled. “Oh, Negi, how does it feel to be knocked out by a third class?” Negi didn’t answer her though. He was still knocked out.

Turles and Raditz only stared at their nephew in shock. Neither of them expected that kind of power out of the boy. Turles was about to ask Goten something, but Vegeta butted in. “So, how do you know super saiyan?” The prince did want to know how a boy with no skills knew such a thing.

Goten felt confused. When had he used super saiyan? “It’s in my blood.”

Raditz and Turles shrugged as Vegeta looked at them. “Then why haven’t they done it?”

“Well, I mean, my father and brother can use it too,” Goten stated.

“Kakarot can go super saiyan?” Turles said, looking over at Raditz. “No wonder he was able to kill you.” Raditz only growled back.

Vegeta thought this over. “So you can be useful then.”

Goten looked down. “I’m not killing anyone.” He knew that’s what they wanted. He just couldn’t do that.

Vegeta frowned. “That’s a waste of your abilities.”

Goten kept his eyes down. “It’s not that impressive.”

This got the prince’s attention. What could be more powerful than a super saiyan? Not only that, but the boy was hiding something. He had watched the fight. He had seen that anger. Vegeta knew that he needed the boy to trust him and the best way to do that was to talk with him. “Leave us.”

Turles and Raditz were shocked by Vegeta’s words, but with the women already gone, they knew not to question the prince. Tarble gave his brother a look and Vegeta nodded at him. The smallest saiyan smirked. “Come on, Raditz, Turles, let’s go check on those two.”

“You mean the lightweight and the airhead?” Goten said under his breath. He expected to get hit for that, but instead the room filled with laughter. He watched his uncles and Tarble exit. Leaving him alone with Vegeta.

Growing up, he really didn’t know much about Trunks’s father. He had always sided with Trunks when it came to his father, but there were times that he couldn’t help but feel angry with him. Like when Trunks stopped training. That was the day that Goten stopped training as well, but only because that was the only way he got training in.

“Walk with me,” Vegeta said, and Goten obeyed. They moved over to a panel in the wall and the half saiyan watched as the prince pushed a couple of buttons before taking out a vial. “This should help with the internal bleeding.”

Goten downed it in one shot, making a disgusted noise as the aftertaste hit him. “What’s in this?”

Vegeta chuckled. “You don’t want to know.” The prince was still making observations. Those eyes were so blank. When the fight broke out, there was something else there. “So tell me about these other forms.”

“Oh…they’re just higher levels of super saiyan,” Goten explained. “I don’t know much about how to get to them though.” He looked off to the side. “I could go to the third form at one time, but I could only do it if I fused with my best friend.”

The prince noted the dejected tone the boy was using. “Fused?”

“Yeah, you do some stupid dance and you fuse with another fighter for about thirty minutes.” Goten made to show Vegeta the dance, but the prince only face-palmed seconds later.

“So you used this, fusion. Why did your friend stop?” Vegeta was curious. It wasn’t like he actually cared or anything. This was all useful knowledge for later. Especially if Kakarot came after them.

Goten sighed. “He just didn’t want to fight any more.” He didn’t know why he was spilling his guts to Vegeta of all people. “And that was the end of my training.”

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. “So this friend of yours ruined you.”

Goten shook his head. “No, I just wasn’t good enough.”

“When did you go super saiyan for the first time?” The prince needed to know why the boy had such an opinion of himself.

“I was eight.” Vegeta only blinked at the boy. “But it’s not like it mattered. My father only had time for my brother.” As he thought of Gohan again, he felt angry.

Vegeta smirked as he saw that glint of anger, he could work with this. “What makes your brother so special?”

“Gohan’s the child they always wanted.” Goten knew he needed to shut up. He didn’t need to be saying this to the prince. “I’m an afterthought.”

“You see no value in yourself. That’s quite odd.” Goten looked at Vegeta with a puzzled look on his face. Didn’t he just tell him that Gohan was better than him? “After the battle I just witnessed, I would argue against that idea.”

“Why?” Goten felt himself hanging on the prince’s words. Was he actually strong and worthy of someone’s attention?

“You have power. You are strong. You’ve just never been shown how to use that power properly.” Vegeta grinned. “Kid, you have potential.”

“But…” Goten began to argue.

“Not every saiyan can go super saiyan.” Vegeta walked around Goten changing forms. “I am the only one here besides you that can do it.”

“That doesn’t make me special,” Goten said.

“No, that isn’t what makes you special,” Vegeta said. “It’s the warrior inside you that wants to come out that makes you special.” He knew what to say. This boy wanted to be put on a pedestal.

Goten shook his head. “I already told you. I’m not a warrior. I’m not good enough to be a warrior. Besides, I’ve been used enough.”

Vegeta’s eyes narrowed. Normally his smooth talking would work, but it was like the kid was reading his mind. “So you want to stay at the bottom of the pack your entire life?”

“What choice do I have? I can’t kill people,” Goten said, holding his ground.

Vegeta sighed. “Have you ever tried?”

Goten shook his head. “No. It’s wrong.”

“So you only see the world in black and white then?” Vegeta sneered. “There are times when you have to kill.”

Goten looked up at the ceiling. “I know that, but I don’t think I could do it.” He looked back at Vegeta. “So I’m not worthy of being a warrior.”

Goten expected Vegeta to growl at him, but the prince only smirked. “Then why don’t we make a deal then.”

Goten raised an eyebrow. “I’m not…”

“I will teach you how to use that power of yours,” Vegeta stated.

Goten suddenly felt excited. “You would really train me?”

Vegeta chuckled. “I can’t let potential like yours go to waste. Besides, you haven’t heard the other part of the bargain.”

“What is it?!” Goten wanted to know. Sure, he wouldn’t kill anyone, but he wanted to learn how to fight more than anything.

“You must follow me onto a battlefield someday. Only after seeing war, can you really tell me if you can’t kill anyone,” Vegeta grinned.

Goten thought it over. There was no losing for him if he took the prince’s bargain. “You have a deal.”

Vegeta smirked. “Then go and clean up, kid. We will start at dawn.” The prince watched the boy leave with a smile on his face. He began to laugh to himself darkly. So the boy was really blind to what he was. The prince would change that. He had seen Goten’s eyes during the fight. Those weren’t the eyes of a pacifist. Those were the eyes of a killer.

He would have to thank this Kakarot for handing over the last piece of the puzzle. The boy’s class was missing from his collection. Vegeta began to laugh. It looked like the boy was a loner, which meant great things. He could always use an addition to the horde.

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Bra sighed as she looked through her bag. She had brought plenty of clothes, but she was tired of living out of a suitcase. They still had a while before they made it to the patrol.

She still felt guilty about her father. She knew that she was very abrasive, but it was only because she was worried. Those words went through her head more than once. I hate you. Her eyes welled up with tears. Why did she have to say that?

But that wasn’t the only reason she was depressed. Why did Goten have to run off? Didn’t he know how important this mission was? But then again, he had to have had his reasons. She just hoped that he was staying out of trouble. The last thing Goten needed was to get involved with any of that again.

Bra put away her bag, but then noticed something in the luggage bay. Why was Goten’s bag still here? This didn’t make any sense. Goten couldn’t be in that much of a funk that he forgot his stuff.

She walked out into the main room, finding everyone else sitting around. Her mother had set the ship to auto pilot and was sitting next to Nappa. The two were talking about something, but it wasn’t like that mattered.

Her eyes roamed, finding her brother and Pan joking around with Goku and Gohan. Bra walked up to them and they stared at her. “What is it, Bra?” Gohan asked.

“I’m just wondering why Goten’s luggage is still in the back,” Bra said. “Why didn’t he take it if he was leaving?”

Goku sighed. “I have no idea.” He was still so disappointed. Part of him hoped that Goten would have gained some appreciation for fighting, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.

Gohan pondered this thought. “Yeah, you would think that he would take his things, but as of late he’s been so brain dead.”

Trunks laughed. “He was too busy thinking about getting his dick wet.”

Goku frowned. It hurt to think that his son was nothing but a man whore. He really thought that they were more alike than that. “Let’s just focus on getting to the patrol. I’ll have to sit down with Goten when we get back to Earth.”

Bra nodded before sitting down. “How much longer do we have until we get there?”

“About 15 hours. If this ship had a hyper drive, it wouldn’t take as long.” Nappa said.

Bulma sighed. “I would have come up with one if I had known we were going into space, but there wasn’t time.”

Trunks looked over at his mother. “This ship has a gravity room on it though, doesn’t it?”

Bulma laughed at her children’s faces. “Well, your father needed some time to train somewhere quiet, so I always had the ship ready. He would usually leave for the day and come back pretty late.” She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. “I always knew where he was. Even if he was such an unbelievable jerk at the beginning.” Bulma sighed. “I always knew that he was loyal.”

“What do you mean?” Bra asked, Trunks shrugged.

“Don’t worry about that,” Bulma said, getting up. “Does anyone want any coffee?”

“Mom, can you really stop that?” Trunks said. “I think it’s time you told us something. We deserve to know.”

Bulma froze but did look back at her children. “Vegeta had his reasons for keeping things from you.”

Bra crossed her arms. “That doesn’t help us though. How can we understand him if we don’t know him?”

“She does have a point, Bulma,” Gohan said. “Maybe it’s time they knew everything.”

Trunks and Bra waited for their mother to answer, but she only turned and left to get coffee. “What is so hard about telling us?” Trunks growled. Did they really distrust them that much?

Goku sighed, standing up. “I don’t know about you, but I want to get some training in. Who knows what we’ll run into out here.”

Gohan stood as well. “I’ll join you. I’m a little rusty anyway.”

Trunks looked over at his sister and Pan. They nodded. “Can we join you?” Trunks asked. It would be better than sitting around.

Goku perked up. “Why not?” He was surprised that they wanted to train. Even Pan looked happy about it. If only Goten had stuck around. Then this would be perfect. “All of you are rusty, so it will be a good make up lesson.”

The room emptied leaving Nappa alone. The large saiyan leaned against his seat. It still shocked him that the prince had a family. He wished to tell Trunks and Bra everything, but he didn’t dare to cross Bulma. If she was Vegeta’s wife, there had to be a reason, and Nappa didn’t want to figure out what that reason was. He wasn’t that dumb.

* * *

Goten walked forward into what looked like the mess hall. Negi and Onuin were conscious once more and glared at him as he moved closer.

Turles smacked him on the back. “That was some good fighting for a kid.”

Goten gave him a weak smile. He still didn’t know how to react with these people.

“The runt got lucky,” Negi snapped.

“You’re just mad that you lost to a kid,” Tarble smirked.

Negi looked away from the small saiyan, rolling his eyes and grumbling. Onuin had started to stuff his face. He was trying to fill the disappointment of losing with food.

Mata moved around, sighing at her brother’s anger. “It’s your fault. You were the one that didn’t take his training seriously.” Negi continued to grumble as Cilicia shifted chairs around.

“Come on, Kid. Take a seat.” Cilica motioned to the seat next to her.

Goten was still apprehensive, but did what he was told. He could feel all of their eyes on him. “So…”

“What happened to your tail?” Mata asked.

They all stared at the woman. Tarble looked around. “She’s right. You don’t have one…is that why you didn’t change into an Ozzaru…or can you control that as well?”

Goten shook his head. “I have no idea. I don’t even remember having at tail, so maybe I was born without one.” He jumped as Turles moved his shirt up. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’ve got a scar. It must have been removed,” Turles growled.

Goten turned red. He was born with at tail. How come he didn’t remember? Gohan had memories of having a tail. “They must have done it after I was born.”

Hisses filled the room. “Who do you mean by they?” Cilica asked.

“What kind of people would do such a thing?” Mata questioned.

“Must have been some scum bag.” Raditz shook at the idea. “I know that your brother had one when I was on Earth…before Kakarot killed me.”

So that confirmed Goten’s earlier thoughts. His brother had to have had his tail until he was four or five. “Well, my dad was dead…so it must have been my mother or brother.” They continued to growl and snap around him. “What’s the big deal with tails?”

“Have you no shame?!” Tarble snapped at him. “Removing a tail is taboo.”

“It’s not just a tail,” Cilica explained. “It’s an organ used for all kinds of things among our kind.”

“Like what?” Now Goten was genuinely curious.

Mata giggled. “Some of it’s used for mating purposes.” Goten turned red. “Hormone distribution, vitality, stamina, plus a number of other functions.”

Goten remained red as Raditz slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re redder than a blood stain, Kid.”

Negi smirked. “Let me guess, the runt is a virgin.”

Goten’s eyes narrowed. “You say that like there is something wrong with that. Are you the type that sticks your dick in everything?”

Negi only grinned as he leaned back. “It just means that I know how to have a good time.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Mata said. “He’s been cleaned by the scraper more times than I can count.”

“Mata!” Negi growled in embarrassment.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t brag if you can’t take the punishment, older brother.”

Onuin growled. “At least we see more action than you do.”

“That’s because Mata has class,” Turles argued, turning red. Goten looked up at his uncle. He could tell what was going on here. His uncle had a thing for Mata.

“Yet, you forget yours all of the time,” Negi said with a smirk.

“Considering the fact that you’re a lightweight, I wouldn’t brag about that,” Goten quipped.

Negi growled as he launched himself across the table to attack Goten, but was pushed back by Cilica. “Don’t be mad at him for kicking your ass… Lightweight.”

“Come on, Cil, don’t call me that,” Negi began only to shut his mouth as she glared at him

“What did you call me?” she snapped.

Negi backed against a wall in fear. “Nothing!”

Cilica’s eyes narrowed. “What were you saying about knowing your place, Second Class?”

“Sis, you know that he didn’t mean it,” Onuin said, sticking up for his companion.

Goten continued to look around the room. He still had no idea what most of their names even were. “I don’t want to sound rude…but I really don’t know what to call you,” he said to the woman that has just been offended by Negi.

She gave him a smile. “My name is Cilica.” She stared back at Negi. “You see, that’s what manners look like.”

While Cilica continued to go after Negi, the other female sat next to him. He believed her name was Mata. “It’s Mata, right?”

She nodded. “You got that from earlier didn’t you?” He nodded back. “You are an observant one.”

Tarble laughed as he watched Negi fall to his knees and he begged for his life. “We need more of those. I believe having two airheads is enough.”

Goten couldn’t help but laugh at that. For the most part, they all seemed pretty normal. It was hard to believe that they were dangerous killers. “Every group has them,” Goten said. “That’s why dad has Yamcha.”

The group looked at him funny. “What’s a Yamcha?” Mata asked.

“I don’t know, but it sounds really weak for some reason,” Turles answered.

Goten sighed. “Don’t worry about that.”

“Don’t worry about what?” They all turned to find Vegeta walking in. The prince looked over and smirked. It looked like they were all getting along with the new charge. This would work. He was sure of it.

“The kid was just telling us about Kakarot’s horde and how it comprised of something called a Yamcha,” Tarble explained.

Vegeta cringed. Something about that name made him feel angry, but he didn’t know why. For some reason, it just sounded irritating. “Let’s not talk about that.” He was all for finding out as much as he could about Kakarot and the boy, but this name didn’t sit well with him. “So you don’t have a tail?”

“We were just over this,” Goten said, slamming his head against the table.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the boy’s reaction, only for Turles to growl. “Explain,” The prince ordered.

“It looks like my brother’s mate had it removed,” Turles snarled.

The prince looked down at the boy, feeling a wave of pity. “So you’ve been cut off?”

“Look, I’ve been fine without it since I was born,” Goten explained. “Our planet has a moon that comes out regularly.”

“Then it would be the perfect place for a Gunjle Rush,” Vegeta explained. He would store that information for later.

“What is Gunjle Rush?” Goten inquired.

Vegeta groaned as did the rest. “Do you really know nothing about being a saiyan?”

“My dad lost his memory, so I have no clue,” Goten argued.

“You mean to tell me that your father is beyond a super saiyan, but has no memory of his heritage?” Vegeta scoffed. How could a warrior as strong as this Kakarot be such a disappointment? Between this information and the fact that he kept the boy from training, Vegeta was losing more and more respect for him by the second. Not that he had any to begin with. Kakarot was a traitor and a third class.

Goten sighed. “I don’t think so, at least it’s never come up.” He looked down at the table. “Mom never really wanted us to talk about that.” Goten thought back to his tutors. She used to be a fighter, but apparently that wasn’t good enough for him. Only Gohan got to do both.

Vegeta noted that the glint was back and smirked. “You may want to get some shut eye, Kid.”

The entire group stared at the prince in confusion. “Vegeta?”

The prince ignored them though. “I told you to be ready at dawn. I will close the doors if you’re late.”

“Yes, sir,” Goten said, his mood had changed with the prospect of finally learning how to really fight. He moved up and over to grab himself some food as the others looked back at the prince.

Vegeta grinned at their questioning looks. “Come on now. None of you can go super saiyan. The boy can keep up with me…for now.”

Negi and Onuin glared over at Goten with jealously. As Cilica and Tarble moved closer to Vegeta. “What are you thinking about, brother?” Tarble asked.

Vegeta kept his grin in place. “Just watch, Tarble. It will be glorious when I am done.” He chuckled to himself.

“So you believe he’s the one then,” Cilica said. “We’ve been waiting to get one.”

“His anger is great,” Turles said, catching on.

“No, it’s not anger. That, my friend, is rage. A pure wrath that can’t be extinguished.” Vegeta’s eyes glowed. “Let him in and gain his trust. We will be rewarded for it later.” The prince laughed evilly.

The rest of the group began to laugh darkly as Goten returned. All the half saiyan could do was cock his head to the side. He must have just missed a really funny joke or something.

To Be Continued…


	9. Chapter 9

Goten looked up at the ceiling of the strange room. The clock next to him was beeping loudly. When had he fallen asleep? He knew that he had been very excited the night before, so it had been hard to pass out, but somehow, someway, he did.

As he pulled himself up, he saw his clothing sitting on a table. They were cleaned and pressed. Goten couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. When had someone come in here? He had to be losing his touch.

As he dressed, he wondered why they even bothered with cleaning up his human clothes anyway. He wasn’t sure about the armor that they wore, but there had to be a lot of that lying around. It didn’t seem practical for him to be wearing his own clothes.

But this had to be a sign that he was not fully accepted by them. He wasn’t one of them, nor would he ever be one of them. He was just Son Goten. Even if Vegeta thought he was special right now, it didn’t mean that he would think that when he woke up from whatever spell he was under. When the prince regained his memories, Goten would be back at the bottom of the pack, forgotten once more.

The young man shook his head. He didn’t have time to think about such things. He needed to go meet Vegeta down in the training room. He finished dressing and walked out of his room. He didn’t even bother with his hair. There was no gel here, so it went back to its natural look, going off in one direction rather than lying flat.

He walked down a flight of stairs, heading towards the dining hall. He could see that only two others were up. Vegeta was sipping on some coffee, while the woman named Cilica looked through some kind of portable computer.

Vegeta looked up in surprise, then smirked. “So that’s what your hair really looks like.” The boy did look more saiyan this way.

Goten looked away in embarrassment. He never really liked his hair as he got older. “Just get your laughter out now.”

Cilica frowned. “Why would we laugh?” She grabbed her cup off of the table. “You look a lot better then you did.”

Goten stared at them in shock. Pan and Trunks had always said his hair needed to look more stylish. “But it’s defying gravity.”

Vegeta chuckled. “And what saiyan’s hair doesn’t?”

It took Goten a couple of seconds to think that over. Vegeta was right, but he still shook his head. “I’m a human.” Those words hurt, but thinking back it was the truth. He was raised as a human, so therefore he was human.

Vegeta growled. “Human?” The prince stood up. “There is still something inside that makes you saiyan, even if you don’t know that it’s there.”

Goten stared down at the prince. “What do you mean?”

“It’s time for us to train,” Vegeta said, changing the subject. Cilica giggled as Goten followed Vegeta out of the room, but he still had no idea on how to answer the prince. What was Vegeta trying to say?

However, there was no time for questions. It was time to train. He gave a nod to Cilica before going after the prince. Vegeta didn’t say anything to him as they walked. Goten knew that he was going to have to give the prince hints about the past along the way, but how did he even bring that up? Vegeta didn’t trust him.

“Get in there, Boy,” the prince growled, looking back at the half saiyan. He could see the lack of confidence all over Goten’s face. With each passing second, the prince felt angrier with Kakarot. No saiyan child should give anyone that look, especially with the power that Goten had.

The half saiyan walked forward, going into the training room. He could already feel the shift in gravity around him. His body felt heavier. Goten looked back at Vegeta, finding the prince walking as if there was no difference.

Vegeta smirked. “I see that you are not used to shifts in gravity.”

Goten shook his head. He knew that the gravity room back on Earth had been Vegeta’s place of choice. All of the times that he trained with Trunks the gravity room had been shut off.

“I’ve started you on the lowest setting, by the end of this week, you should be used to it.” Vegeta moved past him, grabbing what looked like weights out of a compartment.

“What are those for?” Goten said, his eyes going wide as the prince walked back.

“Your clothes are going to be weighed down.” The prince smirked as soon as he saw the younger man’s expression. “Did you think that it would be easy?” The prince passed the weights to the half-blood.

Goten shook his head. “I just… I thought we wouldn’t start with that.”

Vegeta grinned. “You already know the basics, we just have to build up your strength.”

“Are…are you actually complimenting me?” Goten said with surprise.

Vegeta frowned. “Do you want me to treat you like a dog?”

Goten shook his head quickly. “No, sir.”

Vegeta moved. “You’ll learn your place soon enough. Now come, attack me with all you have.”

* * *

 

Trunks wiped his head as they came out of the ship’s gravity room. He had forgotten how much fun sparring could be. He began to feel guilty. His father had wanted him to keep training and the moment that Trunks had stopped, their relationship soured. The more time went on, the less the two of them had in common with each other. Bra was talking to Pan. It looked like they had enjoyed it as well.

When they reacted the hub room, they found Nappa still sitting there, but Bulma was gone. “She went to grab some coffee…I think.”

Bra sat down. “I just wish she would tell us everything.” She already had an idea of what they were in for. Her father was a criminal, that wasn’t that surprising. They had brought up planet destruction, she couldn’t help but wonder if her father had seen one of those. Had he been the criminal to help set up such a thing before the big guns came in or was he the cleanup crew?

Nappa sighed. “It is not my place to tell you.” The tallest man stood up, only to look back at the two teenage girls and Trunks. “The story of Planet Vegeta isn’t a happy one…nothing about your father’s past could be described as easy or happy.” The old man’s eyes seemed to go blank. “We were all naïve back then, but in the end, we were burned.”

“Burned?” Pan asked. Bra and Trunks leaned forward. They all wished Nappa would stop talking in riddles.

“The saiyan race put their trust in Frieza…and he used that trust to destroy us.” Nappa turned his back on the group. “My daughter was among the first to be taken.”

“Taken?” Bra asked. What was Nappa even talking about?

“Frieza made an order and we followed it. He took our children away from us…taught them the ways of war…so when they returned, they weren’t our children anymore. My children were turned into killing machines. Frieza’s very own attack dogs that would follow any order he gave, even if it meant killing my mate and I.” Nappa’s words sent a chill down Trunks’s spine.

“Why didn’t my grandfather do anything? You said he was a king?” Trunks asked.

Nappa laughed. “There was nothing he could do…he trusted Frieza like the rest of us…so when his boys returned from Frieza’s training, it was like they didn’t even know who he was.”

Trunks and Bra tensed up. “Our father was taken…” Bra said under her breath.

“They all were.” A sad smile came to Nappa’s face. “They were so full of life before they were taken too. My daughter used to smile innocently…my son used to laugh at my corny jokes…they acted like children. What was returned to me, those weren’t my children. Those were soldiers… who were perfectly crafted for war.” Nappa sat back down. “It was like they had no emotions. I often wonder what Frieza did to them to make them that way, but all that does is bring pain… and hatred.”

Trunks couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had always thought that his father was just some spoiled child. “What about our father?”

Nappa looked up at the ceiling. “He was such a happy child, his brother, Tarble, was an innocent one. Both of them had such a strong bond with their father, but when they returned, they regarded him as trash. Their adoration had become disgust.” The old man sighed. “Until the day the planet was destroyed. I left to go after my children. The others made sure that Kakarot was sent away before the blast. They wanted him to be protected from that mess…and King Vegeta met his end.”

“Didn’t they all die if the planet was destroyed?” Pan asked.

Nappa didn’t answer. He kept his lips shut.

Trunks sighed. “What about the rest? We need to know more.”

But the old man was done. It looked like he would say no more. Bra looked over at her brother. Just as it looked like they were getting answers, the story stopped, leaving them at a dead end once more.

Trunks grumbled to himself, hopefully they would learn more once they reached the patrol. They were getting some of the pieces, soon the puzzle would be complete. The mystery of their father’s past would be revealed, then they could move forward with finding him.

* * *

 

Goten collapsed against the floor of the training room. He was a little light headed as he panted, but even with how exhausted he felt, he didn’t feel angry at all about it. He smiled to himself. That had been a lot of fun.

Vegeta smirked down at the boy. “I think that’s enough for today, don’t you agree?” The boy had clearly enjoyed himself. Each punch and kick had to feel like a release for him.

Goten sat up. “How about 5 more minutes?”

The prince moved over. “For someone that doesn’t have skills, you sure do like to train.” He needed to get the boy to spill his secrets.

“I always wanted to train,” Goten said, not thinking. “My father just…” The half saiyan looked away.

“Your father just what?” Vegeta pressed.

Goten looked up at the prince. “I just wasn’t good enough… at least I think that’s the reason.” The boy looked back down. “He even picked a stranger over me.” He didn’t need to be saying this. Uub was clearly a better student then he was. Why else would his father choose him?

“He chose a student without saiyan origin?” Vegeta felt offended. “What kind of saiyan is that?”

“He had his reasons,” Goten said, not able to keep the anger out of his voice.

Vegeta heard that twinge of anger, then grinned. “What reasons are those? Tell me, Boy, what do you think of that apprentice?”

Goten felt himself shake. “I…”

“Yes?” Vegeta asked.

“Why couldn’t it have been me?!” Goten growled. “It should have been me! But no, I was never good enough.” With each passing second, Goten felt angrier.

“You’re right,” Vegeta said calmly. “It should have been you.” The prince offered the half saiyan his hand. “But that’s why you’re here now, Goten.”

Goten’s eyes went wide as he stared up at Vegeta’s hand. “What?”

“Think of this as destiny, Boy.” The prince said. “Why has fate brought you here?”

Goten stared at Vegeta’s hand. A small voice inside of him was telling him to take that hand. But he couldn’t do that. To take Vegeta’s hand would be to betray his family. ‘Haven’t they already betrayed you?’ the voice said.

Listening to that voice, he took Vegeta’s hand. “I have no idea why it’s brought me here. But just like you, I do think it is fate.”

Vegeta smirked. “Let us get something to eat.” He knew that it was around noon. “If you want to keep training, then we can return here after we fill our stomachs.”

Goten nodded, following the prince out of the room. He didn’t know what it was, but his previous thoughts about Vegeta seemed to be false. Trunks’s father was nothing like the man he thought he was.

When they reached the mess hall, Cilica was gone, but in her place was Negi with Onuin. Both men glared at him as he moved to grab something to eat. Vegeta only smirked. “I didn’t think that the two of you would have time to sit down.”

Negi jumped. “We…we were just…”

“Taking a break,” Onuin finished his sentence.

Goten looked over at them. “It looks like you haven’t even broken a sweat.”

Negi growled. “Listen here, Runt! You don’t know what real training is like!”

Vegeta frowned. “So, training with me isn’t real training then, lightweights?”

“Never, your majesty…he was just referencing the runt’s lack of experience,” Onuin said quickly.

“Even with a lack of experience, he was able to take the two of you down. It would be wise to work harder in the future,” Vegeta said.

“He just got lucky though, his heart is too weak!” Negi said with a smirk.

“What does that mean?!” Goten growled, getting angry.

“Just get onto a battlefield, then you can call me weak!” Negi snapped.

Goten snarled, getting in the other warrior’s face. “Maybe I’ll do that!”

Vegeta grinned at that. It seemed that Negi’s words of jealousy were working in his favor. “I’ll believe it when I see it, Runt,” Negi sneered before walking over to Onuin and pulling the larger saiyan behind him. “If you need us, we’ll be training with the gravity on 150.” The two disappeared.

Goten was still growling after they left. His eyes were glaring at the door. He felt the need to strike them down, but stilled as he felt a hand on his shoulder. His eyes looked around, finding the one called Mata standing there. “It takes a while for him to warm up to anyone new,” the female said with a smile. “You’ve hurt his pride. It will take a while for it to heal.”

Goten turned his eyes to Vegeta, only for the prince to nod. “But what about my own pride?”

Vegeta smirked. “I thought you didn’t have that?” This was going better than he hoped. The boy was an open book for him. It was just as Frieza had taught him. Manipulation was easy on the emotional.

Goten sighed. “How do I get them to acknowledge me?”

The prince moved forward. “Give it time. Besides, they are about to have their pride hurt once more.” Goten gave him a puzzled look. “We trained at 250 in the gravity room.”

Goten’s jaw dropped. “But you said it was on low!”

Vegeta smirked. “That is low…for me.”

Goten couldn’t believe what he heard. Did this really mean that he was stronger than he thought he was? “That… that can’t be right.”

The prince only grinned. “I would not lie about training.” He looked over at Mata and the woman nodded. “We will relax for the rest of the day. Learn what you can from the others.”

Goten was going to argue, but it looked like Vegeta’s mind was made up. “Where do I even start?”

“How about with me?” Goten looked over to find his Uncle Raditz standing there. “I could use another pair of hands.”

“Then it is settled,” Vegeta said. “Learn from Raditz for the rest of the day. We will meet again tomorrow.”

Goten nodded. “Yes, Prince Vegeta.”

As Goten left, Vegeta watched the boy leave. His chest ached slightly, making the prince shake his head. It wasn’t like he cared for the boy. Goten was only a pawn that the prince would use in his game. The image of the boy’s dejected face came to him…it was odd. Goten looked a lot younger for some reason.

Vegeta shook his head once more. This was probably nothing. He probably shouldn’t over think it.

To Be Continued…

 


	10. Chapter 10

Goten wanted to train some more, but he wasn’t about to go against Vegeta’s wishes. So, after he finished his food, he walked off with his Uncle Raditz.

The half-blood still didn’t know what to think about his uncle. The man had kidnapped him, and from the way Gohan had talked about Raditz, he wasn’t the friendliest. But for some reason, Goten didn’t feel any ill will towards Raditz at all.

“So, what are we going to be doing?” Goten inquired.

Raditz chuckled. “You’ll see.”

Goten sighed. He needed to know more about the rest of the group. “What is your skill set?” Vegeta talked about skills a lot, so his uncle had to have some.

Raditz gave him a grin. “I’m a bomb specialist.”

“So, you make things go boom?” Goten asked. He had never heard of a saiyan messing with anything like that.

“You could say that. It matters on what kind of bomb I’m working on,” Raditz said, walking up to a door and punching in a code.

“There are different kinds of bombs?” Goten didn’t know why he was asking this. Didn’t Raditz take him down with some kind of gas bomb?

The door opened up in front of the older saiyan. “Come see that for yourself.” Raditz walked into the room and Goten followed.

Goten gasped. It looked like a workshop, but he could see the outlines where certain bombs had blown up. His eyes wandered, he could see where his uncle had been testing out his creations. A wall was filled with all kind of explosive compounds, but that wasn’t all. There were tanks to the side. Some had markings on them, giving him a good idea of what was inside.

Raditz moved over to the bench. “I’m working on a new concept. I need something that can do some damage, but has a delayed reaction time.”

“Why do you need that?” Goten walked around to his uncle’s side.

“Imagine what would happen if my bombs could get back to a base. I could take out a squad before they had the chance to come after us,” Raditz said, looking over his wall.

Goten pondered that idea. “So you’re thinking of a gas model, then?”

Raditz grinned. “Yes, but it needs to throw out shrapnel.” He growled as he looked through his supplies. “I know that I’m on the verge of a break through.”

Goten moved over to the wall. “What if you put in something that you could remotely control?”

Raditz pondered that. “The problem is that the shrapnel needs to be small. There aren’t that many things that would work for that.”

“Not if you use nanobots,” Goten argued. His uncle gave him a confused look. “They are like tiny robots.” Goten moved over to where there were some tiny metal balls. “I know that there is a way to get them turned down to a molecular level. If you do that, they would be breathing them in with the gas.”

Raditz’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “So I could even put a tracking device and collect information on our enemy before we even started our attack.”

“Especially if the gas used was clear.” Goten began to look through the different kinds of gas.”

“It has to be odorless as well,” Raditz said moving behind him. They finally picked out one and moved it over to the table in the middle. “It’s going to take me time to get some of those nanobots though.”

“Earth has some, but I think they had some for sale on that planet that you found me on,” Goten said. “It shouldn’t take that much tweaking to get it right.”

The half saiyan didn’t have any time to react as he was pulled into a headlock. He was about to panic, until his uncle laughed, ruffling his hair. “Good going, Young Gun,” Raditz laughed.

Goten felt himself be released and turned red. He wasn’t used to getting this much praise. “Young Gun?”

Raditz moved back over to the table where he began to work. “You don’t want me calling you boy or runt, do you?”

Goten laughed. “I guess not.” He sighed, as he looked down at the piece of metal that his uncle was working on. It really didn’t make sense. How could he feel so happy that that was going to be used to harm people? Goten shook his head. It was best not to think of those things.

“You have something on your mind. Go ahead and talk,” Raditz said, messing with some fuses.

Goten sighed. “You’re different than what I expected.”

“So, my brother has said something about me? What lies has Kakarot been spreading?” Raditz chuckled.

“It wasn’t him.” Goten looked off to the side. “It was my brother.”

Raditz thought back to the shrimp that he had seen back on Earth. “Well, I can see why. That child was quite annoying.” The half-blood looked up at him in surprise. “He was a whiney thing. All I wanted to do was bring Kakarot out here, but sadly, he chose to kill me instead.” Raditz laughed. “Well, that Namek got the final blow on me and I guess I get what I got for kidnapping the shrimp.”

Goten couldn’t help but snicker. “You kidnapped Gohan?”

Raditz grinned. “I needed something to barter with Kakarot. So, I took the shrimp in exchange for Earth’s destruction. You know how that turned out.”

“With you six feet under,” Goten said. “I did wonder why they didn’t bring you up until a couple of weeks ago. They brought back some guy called Nappa and began to look for Vegeta.”

Raditz grinned. “Why were they looking for Vegeta?” He needed the boy to keep this information to himself. No one needed to know about the past. They were back in Frieza’s graces, nothing else was needed.

“Because Vegeta lived on Earth. He’s the father of my best friend.” Goten said, not thinking. His mind flashed to the image of his brother and Trunks talking and he frowned. “At least, I thought he was my best friend.”

Raditz frowned, but smirked on the inside. “Why would you say that?”

Goten sighed. “As the years went by, we grew apart. The day he stopped training, was the say that I stopped training.”

“What else? There has to be more about him that gets your blood boiling,” Raditz pushed.

Goten looked up his uncle. “Why do you say that?”

“Your face, it’s grim,” Raditz explained. “If you were truly close, such a face wouldn’t exist.”

The half-blood sighed. “It’s just complicated.”

“I have time,” Raditz said, putting down the metal and motioning for him to follow.

Goten did what was asked and sat down. He was surprised once again. It looked like Raditz was giving him all of his attention. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Just start at the beginning.” Raditz needed to know more about Earth. If he was able to earn the boy’s trust, then he could keep Goten’s mouth shut.

Goten looked down. “I just wasn’t good enough,” he began. “I guess it all did start at the beginning. My brother got to train under my father. Trunks got to train with his father… but I didn’t get that. I had to focus on my studies, but I didn’t care about those things,” Goten kept going. “The only time I got train, was with my friend, but when he was 15, he decided that it wasn’t cool anymore. So, I had to live without it.” Everything was spilling out of him as he continued. “After that I just gave up… because no one was listening. Even after my dad took an apprentice, I put a fake smile on my face.” Goten kept his eyes on the floor. “And before I knew it, everyone was surpassing me. Trunks was working at Capsule Corp. My brother was a professor at some university. My niece was getting scholarships…all while I dropped out of school and began to party. I got a bad reputation. Everyone called me a manwhore, but that was far from the truth. I just got mixed up in using all kinds of drugs.” His mind flashed to Trunks poking fun at him. “And all they did was laugh.” He wanted to cry, but tears weren’t falling.

A hand pulled his chin up and he was forced to look at his uncle. He expected Raditz to laugh at him, but the man only looked angry. “There is no reason for them to laugh at you. They were the ones that set you up for failure.”

Goten felt his body relax. “I don’t need your pity.”

Raditz smirked. “I don’t pity you. I’m angry that my brother didn’t give you the attention you deserve,” his uncle growled. “How could he waste potential like yours? It’s a crime against saiyans.”

The half-blood was starting to feel angry as well. “I was supposed to be a scholar. That’s what they wanted.”

“Is that what you wanted?” Raditz asked, already knowing the answer.

“No! I wanted to fight!” Goten growled.

“So, fight then,” Raditz said calmly.

Goten tried to move his head out of his uncle’s grasp, but found it impossible, so he only looked away. “You make it sound so easy.”

“That’s because it is, Young Gun.” His nephew’s eyes looked back up at him. “You were born to fight. It’s in your blood as a saiyan. Don’t listen to their lies.”

“But they’re my family…” Goten said, his voice was barely a whisper.

“No, Goten. That’s not a family,” Raditz said. “I’m your family. Turles is your family. Let us help you get where you need to be.”

Goten couldn’t believe what he was hearing, first Vegeta, now Raditz. Was what they were saying true? “Can we keep this between us, then?”

Raditz smirked internally. “Keep what between us?”

“What happened on Earth…I don’t think it’s time to say anything,” Goten said.

Raditz gave his nephew a frown. “If that’s what you want to do. My lips are sealed.” So, no one else was going to know about Vegeta’s time on Earth. This was perfect. “Now why don’t we finish working on these bombs? I’ll even let you test one out.”

Goten have his uncle a smile. “That sounds super.” It would do him some good to blow off some steam.

* * *

 

Bulma smiled as they finally reached the Patrol. The ship docked and everyone began to get off. Bra and Pan were a little shaky. It had been a while since they had been walking around on a planet.

Nappa was about to point something out as Jaco came running over to Bulma. “I didn’t think you would be all the way out here.”

“I’m not here for a happy visit, Jaco,” Bulma explained. “I came here to see if the patrol had any information on Frieza’s base.”

The small alien tensed up. “So, you know about that?”

“Yes, I do,” Bulma said with a glare. “I need to know where I can find Frieza as soon as possible.”

“Doesn’t everyone,” A new voice said from the shadows.

Bulma made to glare at the intruder, but watched as Jaco walked up to the man. “Have you found anything new?”

“No, I haven’t. The families have been evacuated, but I can see that I missed one,” the strange man said. “I didn’t think Prince Vegeta was still alive.”

“How do you know that Vegeta is my husband?” Bulma asked.

“The fact that you are here and asking about Frieza is enough for me to get that idea,” the man said, coming out of the shadows.

There was a collective gasp, then the sound of attacks powering up. “STOP!” Jaco said, getting between the two groups. “He’s one of us. He’s a top rank detective in the Galactic Patrol.”

The Frost Demon walked forward once more. Unlike Frieza, his armor plates where black in color, while the softer parts were a light teal. “Everyone around here calls me Special Agent Polar.”

“Polar?” Goku said, looking at the Frost Demon. “So, you’re not working with Frieza?”

“Why would I work for that scumbag?” Polar explained. “I have a respectable job here. A life of crime never appealed to me.”

Bulma walked forward. “You said something about evacuations?”

Polar sighed. “Follow me, we can talk as we go.” The group followed him and he began to explain. “After we noticed that Namek was destroyed, I began to get a little nervous. There haven’t been any planetary explosions since Frieza’s demise. I began to look into it as the entire horde began to disappear from their homes. The first to go missing was Onuin, followed by Negi, then Turles and Mata were gone, followed by Tarble…then Special Agent Cilica was taken. I don’t know when Vegeta was collected, but it had to be around the same time as Cilica.”

Bulma noticed something about Polar’s voice. It had changed slightly when it came to the last saiyan’s name. How peculiar.

“What do you know about their location?” Gohan pressed.

“Not much. Frieza doesn’t like to stay in one place for long,” Polar said. “The main base should be stationary, but it’s heavily guarded.”

“I know the location.” Everyone looked over at Nappa. “It’s as Polar said. It’s protected beyond belief.”

“So why evacuate people?” Trunks asked.

“I was able to gather that intel from certain dealers. It wouldn’t be the first time that Frieza fiddled with mind correction. I figured that he might send the horde after their families, after they no longer recognized them,” Polar clarified.

“So, you brought the families here for their safety?” Gohan asked as they walked into a room.

Everyone was in some state of shock as they were met with what looked like plenty of other aliens.

A red woman with a blue Mohawk walked forward, she had a strange whip-like tail, which looked like it had a weapon at the tip of it. “Have you heard anything about my Kasi?!” Bulma could see how worried she was.

“Rouge, for the last time, his real name is Negi,” Polar said, sounding very annoyed.

“My husband would never do any of those things! Kasi wasn’t like that!” Rouge said, crossing her arms while wrapping that strange tail of hers around her waist.

Nappa started to laugh. “You…you really think that Negi, the sweeper of planets would be an innocent?”

Rouge glared up at the giant. “I don’t know who this Negi is, all I know is my Kasi.”

Nappa continued to laugh. “What a weird name for him to pick.”

“We don’t have time for this.” A smaller woman in purple walked forward. “We need to find where they are.”

“We will find them, Gure. It will just take time for that to happen,” Polar said. “The activity has begun, so we’ll start to see more of a pattern in the next few days.”

“How many planets have been cleared?” A fish looking female asked, walking forward.

“It’s hard to say,” Polar said. “Communications have been down due to Raditz and Turles screwing with our satellites.”

“I could look at those,” Bulma offered. “I’m very good with high tech machinery.”

Polar was going to give her a look of gratitude as the door behind them cracked open. A little boy walked into the room with a sad look on his face. He was definitely a frost demon, only the flesh parts of his body were a cream color. The armor plates were the same as Polar’s. “Daddy, when is Mommy coming home?”

Polar sighed and leaned down to pick up his son, just as everyone saw the tail. “I don’t know, Flambee. Just give me a little longer.”

The boy’s eyes moved around the room and he wiggled so that his father would let him down. The small child walked over to Nappa and looked up. “You’re really tall.”

Nappa was about to make a remark to the child as he noticed the saiyan tail coming from the child’s backside. There were only two female saiyans left… and Mata was with Turles…which meant… “Polar, are you, by any chance, married to Cilica?”

“Well, yes, I am. Why are you asking?” Polar said with a puzzled look.

Nappa growled, “You fucking bastard!”

“UMMM…you said a naughty word.” Flambee put his hands over his mouth.

Nappa looked down at the small child, then back at Polar…he wanted to wreck the frost demon…but…

“Do I need to get soap?” Flambee asked. “Mommy makes daddy use soap when he says bad words.”

Nappa’s eyes kept going back and forth, before he finally just leaned down and picked the boy up. “I guess I’ll need a lot of soap then.” Nappa sighed, the child was just too cute. The old saiyan looked back over at Polar. “Just for the record, Cilica is my daughter. I don’t have to like this…” Polar made to argue. “But…” Flambee had begun to crawl up onto the top of Nappa’s head. “Apparently, I have to go get my mouth washed out.”

“Big man make funny face,” Flambee giggled as the two of them walked out of the room.

Polar sighed in relief. “I thought I was a goner there.”

Bulma walked over to the computer. “We have more important things to worry about. Where do I need to go to fix the communications?”

Polar gave her a nod. “Follow me.”

As Bulma followed Polar out of the room, Bra looked over at Trunks and Pan before staring at the newcomers. It looked like they were all kept in the dark as well. Just what was her father hiding? It really couldn’t be that bad, could it?

To Be Continued…


	11. Chapter 11

As Bulma worked on the satellites, Gohan figured that they better get acquainted with the rest of the room. “So, can everyone just go over why they are here?”

The woman with the red skin and elf ears sneered. “I’m here for my Kasi! I know that they had to take him because of my job.”

“What do you do?” Trunks asked.

She smirked. “I’m the crime boss for district 2 on Vencarzu 4,” the woman bragged. “Rouge’s the name.”

Bra and Pan just looked at each other. “You mean that you’re in charge of that dump?”

“How dare you?!” Rouge said, she looked as if she was going to spring forward, but was held back by two other women. One with orange skin, the other with yellow.

“They are right, Rouge-chan,” the yellow one said. “If only you had been smarter in your endeavors.”

“Now Amber-chan, not everyone was made to be…perfect. Rouge-chan just needs to forget all of this crazy talk,” the orange one said.

As Bra stared at the sisters, she couldn’t help but feel guilty. Is this how she was treating her father? She felt disgusted with herself.

“I’m going to find Kasi and take him home!” Rouge argued. “My children will want answers. Besides, I wouldn’t want to go back with you even if I was a corpse.”

“Don’t act like that, Rouge-chan,” Amber smiled, her voice had that high-pitched pep to it. “Coral-chan, I don’t think it’s working.”

“We’ll have to try something else,” Coral said, pondering how to get her sister to leave this place.

“Just give it a rest.” The three sisters all stared at Bra. “She wants to be here for the person she loves. Isn’t that enough?”

Coral began to laugh. “Oh look, a commoner is sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. How about you run off and play, child?”

Bra turned red with anger. “Commoner? I’ll have you know that I’m an heiress to a multi-billion-dollar empire!” Both women froze in fear as Bra shouted at them. “So get off of that high horse of yours. If you don’t want to be here, leave!”

There was a giggle behind Bra and she turned to find another of the strange alien race, but unlike the others, she didn’t have blue hair. She looked younger, with black hair and eyes…and a saiyan tail. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” The girl walked forward, pulling what had to be her mother into a hug.

“Civilla, they have to be lying. Your father would never…” Rouge started.

“Hush, I already know that dad would never hurt a fly,” Civilla said. “He’s too much of a pansy for that.” Her words made her mother laugh.

“He is the perfect trophy husband,” Rouge giggled.

Gohan turned away from that group, looking over at the fish woman. She had white skin, which might be scales, with reddish-purple hair, done in braids. She had flowy ears and the scales above her eyes were the same color as her hair. She had a pair of green glasses on, with a long, green gown and gold necklace. She gave him a smile. “I know that we are a strange bunch.”

“It’s not that much different from being back at home,” Gohan said with a smile. “My name is Gohan, this is my daughter Pan and my father, Goku.”

She bowed. “My name is Aquaria. I’m here because my husband, Onuin, has gone missing.” She gave him a questioning look. “Why are you out here?”

“We came to look for Vegeta,” Goku answered.

“I thought he was dead, or at least Tarble thought he was dead,” the shortest woman said.

Gohan nodded. That made sense, Nappa did say that Tarble was Vegeta’s brother. “Is it Gure?” he asked, he heard Polar call her that earlier.

The small woman nodded. “I don’t know what they are talking about though. Tarble’s an innocent.”

“I know what you mean. Onuin is a gentle giant,” Aquaria said.

Gohan looked over at his father in surprise. Did their husbands really keep their pasts a secret? Sure, Vegeta kept that information from his kids, but Bulma knew everything. It made him question what kind of men these guys were.

Polar walked back into the room with Bulma. “It looks like we are going to have to order new parts,” Bulma said with a sad face.

“It was worth a try,” Polar said. “We’re just going to have to wait.”

“Do we have time to wait?” Goku asked.

Polar have him an uneasy look. “I don’t know. It matters on how fast Frieza is planning his invasions.” The frost demon sighed. “We will have to wait and see.”

* * *

 

Vegeta sat in the mess hall with the others. He was waiting for Raditz to return with the kid. He wanted to know how the rest of the day went for his little experiment.

“Vegeta, you haven’t touched your food,” Cilica chided him like a child.

He growled at her. “Give me a second.”

“You can think later.” She sighed.

Negi almost fell into his food. He just didn’t understand it. How the hell did he get so far behind? He used to be the strongest one besides Vegeta and Cilica. When had be become so weak?

Turles was talking to Tarble, while Mata listened in, but everyone stopped what they were doing as Goten walked in with Raditz. The two of them were engulfed in their conversation.

“So, if I want to get the right calibration, I’m going to have to find a suitable remote.” Raditz sighed. “That’s going to take an extra day in the shop.”

“Yeah, but trust me. It will work,” Goten said. “Under those parameters, you should have the bomb you’re looking for.”

Vegeta grinned. It looked like Goten had enjoyed himself.

“If you need a remote made, Brother, I can do that,” Turles said. “It won’t take me that long.”

“Yeah, but I’m going to need to get the nanobots first.” Everyone gave him puzzled looks. “It was the kid’s idea. He’s a genius.”

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at Goten. “Then enlighten us.”

“Oh…” Goten turned red. “Well, nanobots are just very tiny robots. I just suggested that Raditz use them in one of his bombs.”

“Think about it, Vegeta,” Raditz said, with excitement. “Instant enemy tracking.”

Vegeta grinned, only for Goten to start talking. “And after that, you could technically blow up the body that ingested them.” The half-blood turned redder. Why did he bring up something like that? It wasn’t like he wanted to watch people die.

Vegeta’s grin grew. The boy was really coming around. Who knew that his plans would work this well? He knew he owed the boy training in the morning, but was staring over at Tarble. The shorter prince nodded back, getting the idea. “After our training, you will spend some time with my brother.” It would do Goten some good to learn from the assassin next.

Goten nodded, wondering what he would be doing with the smallest member of the horde. Tarble looked up at him, giving him a grin. “I’ll be leaving for a job in two days. So, you’ll be helping me get ready for my mission.”

“What are you going to do?” The half-blood still had no idea what all of their skill sets were.

Tarble smirked. “I’m off to Piscar 9. There’s a certain galactic prince that is standing in the way of our supply ships.”

Goten still didn’t know what that entailed. “I don’t understand. Are you going to talk to him or something?” Nappa did say that Tarble was going to be a politician.

Everyone chuckled, but Tarble just smiled. “You could say that.” He turned his eyes to his brother. “Why don’t I get him in the morning? You can have him tomorrow night.”

Vegeta gave him a nod. “That gives Negi and Onuin time to use the training rooms before us.”

Negi groaned in pain. His muscles hurt. Onuin had already turned in for the night. When they got to the gravity room and saw the setting, they decided to turn it up…which turned out to be a bad idea. Maybe the runt could do it with his super saiyan form. Negi wanted to shake his head. That wasn’t right. He used to do high gravity all of the time with ease.

“Suck it up,” Vegeta growled.

“No pain, no gain, Brother,” Mata said with a giggle.

As Goten watched the group talk, he just couldn’t help but ask. “All of you wanted to know my skill set, but I have no idea what your skills are.”

Vegeta gave the rest of the horde a nod before speaking. “If you couldn’t tell, I’m the leader and tactician.”

Cilica giggled. “I’m called the thief, but I can also do to work take out enemies, I don’t really have that good a defense though. My brother Onuin is the tank of the group. He’s made to take hits with ease. Even if he is behind.”

Mata laughed as Negi groaned. “I’m a sniper and Negi is a sweeper.”

Goten didn’t expect that. Especially with how weak Negi was. His Uncle Raditz smirked. “We’ve been over my specialty, but Turles here is a spy.”

Turles nodded. “Everything from disguising myself to hacking is under my belt.”

“You know how to hack into computers?” Goten was surprised. He had always been under the assumption that saiyans weren’t that good with technology. Mainly because his father couldn’t be trusted with it and even Gohan had some issues with it.

Turles chuckled. “Give me a mainframe and I can tell you anything.”

The half saiyan couldn’t help but feel impressed. “Wow. Could you even hack into the computer back on Earth from here?”

Turles smirked. “Now why would I need to do that?”

Goten sweated for a second. The idea of changing his status at the university was tempting. Not that he really needed to do that out here. “I was just wondering if it was possible.”

“Considering that Earth looks quite primitive, at least I got the impression from what Raditz has told me, it wouldn’t be that hard,” Turles bragged. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of havoc his nephew was thinking up. Goten was really coming around. He was excited to see Kakarot’s reaction to the change. The boy’s confidence was growing, which meant that they were slowly dragging Goten away from his woes. He would be a strong, capable warrior before they all knew it.

“We could always mess with some Earthlings…if you wanted,” Raditz said, trying to get the half-blood on board.

Goten thought it over. He knew that he shouldn’t. “What do you mean?”

Vegeta smirked. This was just what they needed. He just needed Raditz and Turles to keep egging the boy on. He gave Turles a nod and the spy gave him a small grin.

“Is there anyone that you would want to get back at?” Turles asked.

“I…” Goten turned red. “I don’t think so.”

Raditz chuckled, putting his arm around his shoulder. “What about your father’s apprentice?”

“What about him?” There was an edge to Goten’s voice that made Vegeta smirk. They had him.

“Don’t you want to watch him squirm?” Vegeta said, walking closer. “We can do that.”

Goten thought it over before shaking his head. “I…I can’t.”

“Why not?” Vegeta asked. “Imagine how he’ll squirm under pressure.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun to prove Kakarot wrong?” Turles asked. “To revel in the failure of the person he chose over you?”

Goten wanted to shake his head, but he couldn’t. That voice from earlier was being vocal once more. ‘It’s not like Uub deserves to be the next hero of Earth,’ the voice said. ‘He’s just some human that got lucky.’ Goten growled low in his throat, then smirked. “I think I have an idea.” The half saiyan chuckled lightly. He didn’t know he could make that sound, but was beyond caring.

“Then lead the way,” Turles said standing up with a smirk.

Raditz and Vegeta wanted to follow, which they did, as they went into a large computer room. “So, what do you have in mind?” Raditz chuckled.

“I think it’s time I called my mother,” Goten said with a grin as the rest of them stared at him in confusion. “You’ll see.” The half-blood said with a twisted grin. Turles set up the computer system and it only took him a couple of minutes to get inside of Chichi’s cell phone.

The phone rang a couple of times. “Hello? Who is this?”

“Hey, mom. How’s everything at home?” Goten started, playing completely innocent.

“Everything’s been fine. I’m getting ready to have tea with Videl,” Chichi said. “Can you put your father on?”

“No, he’s a little busy. I just wanted to call and tell you something,” Goten said. He could see that the others were getting apprehensive.

“I’m in a hurry, so you’ll have to make this quick,” Chichi said on the other line.

Before she said that, Goten had been feeling a twinge of regret. But the moment she told him she was busy, he felt nothing but anger. Of course she would find time to talk to his father and Gohan, but not him. “I just thought you should know that Uub and Pan are dating.” His mother stopped moving around on the other end. He knew that he had her attention.

“You have to be joking. Pan doesn’t need to waste her time on someone like Uub…he’s going to be just like your father,” his mother cried. “She’s in for disappointment.”

“But they met before we came out here. She didn’t come back home till after midnight,” Goten said. “I think she said something about protection.”

“That bastard deflowered my granddaughter!” Chichi snapped. “He’s a dead man!” The phone went dead a second later.

Goten laughed darkly. “How was that?”

Vegeta smirked at the cold look he saw in the young man’s eyes. The half-blood was clearly enjoying himself. “How do you feel?”

Goten pondered that question. He knew he should feel bad for ratting out his niece…but he just couldn’t. Instead, there was something new going through him. All he wanted to do was laugh. Was this what it felt like to be alive? “Can I hack a computer from here?”

Turles grinned. “I’m already locked in on the planet. Just give me the coordinates and it won’t be that hard.”

The half-saiyan punched a couple of numbers into the screen, bringing up a screen he knew well. He knew exactly what he was going to do. A massive project file was sitting there. Turles watched his nephew in awe. The boy was taking to this like a fish to water.

The three men blushed as they noticed a bunch of porn being uploaded into a presentation. Goten smirked at the screen. How was Gohan going to explain this away? His brother would open that in front of all of his students. He could already hear his brother’s dismay.

After finishing that file, he moved onto a different computer. This time providing links to what was being used. Trunks never did his own work. It was time that Bulma and the rest of the Briefs knew the truth.

Goten pushed one last button and backed away with a sigh. He felt great. He had just taken out his frustrations on every one of his enemies. He blinked a couple of times. Gohan…Trunks…Pan…Uub…They weren’t his enemies. So, why couldn’t he get himself to feel guilty?

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Vegeta chuckled.

Goten looked over at the prince. “I feel a lot better.” He looked down. “But I may have gone too far.”

Raditz pulled the half-blood’s face up. “You gave them what they deserved.”

“But to tell their secrets…” Goten argued. Finally, his guilt was catching up with him. “They’re my friends…”

“What kind of friends are they?” Turles asked and Goten shifted his face towards his other uncle. “They treated you like dirt…even your own mother did.” Turles’s smile was warm. “You did what was right.”

“But…” Goten still tried to argue.

“No buts,” Turles said. “Those aren’t friends, kid. Those are users. They’ve treated you like garbage. Friends don’t do that, do they?”

“I…I guess,” the half-blood said, taking in his uncle’s words.

“Companions shouldn’t be measured with time, but with understanding. They don’t understand you, Goten,” Turles said, standing up. “None of them have ever understood you.”

Goten felt a little peeved. “It wouldn’t have taken them more than five minutes to ask me.” His anger was growing. “All they had to do was ask me.”

“You don’t need them, Goten,” Turles said, before smirking. “Do you know why?”

Goten thought over his uncle’s words. He tried to keep his thoughts steady, but as each second passed, his brain always came up with the same answer. It was like he had already known this all along. “I’m not like them…I’ve never been like them.”

“What else?” Raditz said with a grin.

“They aren’t my family…they never were my family,” Goten said under his breath.

Vegeta chuckled. “So, who is your family? Who are the people that understand you? Who are your true comrades?”

Goten sighed. “I’m still discovering that.” The three looked like they could live with his answer, which made the half-saiyan feel comfortable. They were giving him time to find that answer…even though he was starting to believe that he already knew it. He just had to face what it meant. The half-blood wasn’t sure when that day would come or if it would even happen. “I think I’m going to go to bed.” They all nodded him off, leaving him to his thoughts. Maybe after a good night’s rest, everything would be clear to him again. He was just going to have to wait and see.

To Be Continued…


	12. Chapter 12

Goten woke up early again. He wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly. Tarble was trusting him with this, but he still didn’t understand the younger prince. What use could a politician be to the horde? It seemed that everyone else had a skill that related to warfare.

It had been a couple of days since he had taken a shower, so he washed off all of the sweat from the day before. As he washed his hair, he thought about last night. It was strange. Back in the day, he was a prankster, but that died out with his training. Spending time with Trunks had become stale. All Trunks wanted to talk about was Capsule Corp. Pan stopped training with Bra, but she didn’t seem put out by it. Then Bra discovered what he had been doing in his free time. So, he would have to say that he was the closest to her out of everyone, but there was a good reason for that.

What made the night before odd, was that it had to be the first time he had had fun in years. The half-blood never thought that he would fit in with Vegeta of all people. Hell, for the first time in forever, he felt like he was a part of something.

But was it enough for him to kill? Could he fight alongside them on a battlefield? Only time would tell.

He got out of the shower and dried himself off. The half-blood made to grab his old outfit, but cringed at it. He had only been here for two days and he was considering tossing it out for something else. He opened a drawer only to find a jumpsuit waiting for him. Did they take his measurements when he wasn’t looking?

Goten didn’t think as he put it on. He didn’t have the armor like the rest of them, but the black jumpsuit was comfortable. He always expected it to bunch, but here he was proven wrong.

The half-blood looked down at his human clothes. He put them in a drawer. They may be useful for later.

As he was about to leave his room, he caught a look of himself in the mirror. Where yesterday, he had seen a human…now he wasn’t sure. Was Vegeta right? Was he truly a saiyan?

Goten shook his head. He didn’t want to be late. He decided to skip breakfast as he walked to Tarble’s room. The younger prince’s room wasn’t anywhere near Vegeta’s for some reason, but Goten guessed that had to do with privacy because his uncles were pretty far from each other.

He passed Mata in the hall and she gave him a smile. “Looking good, Goten.”

He blushed. He had been unsure about wearing these things out of the room, but what was he going to do? He couldn’t wear those rags he came in forever. “Umm… Thanks.”

“All you need is some armor of your own and it would really complete the look,” Mata said, still smiling.

Goten smiled back. “I don’t know. The hole in the back is odd.”

Mata giggled. “That’s for your tail.”

“But I don’t have one…” Goten started, but she walked passed him with a smile. The half-blood sighed. He really didn’t want to be late.

Goten knocked on the smallest saiyan’s door and it opened seconds later. “I was wondering when you were going to…” Tarble looked like he was about to give him a lecture, but the younger prince only stopped and smirked. “Those work really well for you.”

The half-blood turned red once more. “I couldn’t keep wearing my other clothes. They would turn to rags in no time.”

“Yes, that fabric did look weak,” Tarble said, moving off to the side and letting Goten in.

The half-blood got a good look at the room. It was more detailed than his, but that probably had to do with Tarble’s royal status. His eyes moved over to find a small pack. He could see that there were some clothes packed, but they didn’t look like anything that a politician would wear. He gave Tarble a questioning look.

“You still think I’m a politician, don’t you?” Tarble chuckled as he reached into a desk and took out a couple of vials.

“What are those for? Do you have migraines or something?” Goten asked.

Tarble laughed. “These are neurotoxins.” He waited for the half-blood to ask him more questions.

“Neurotoxins? What do you need those for?” Goten felt wary now, there was a chill going down his spine. There was no way that Tarble was just bartering with people.

“Well, they do stun the target for a couple of minutes,” the smaller prince said with a smile.

“The target?” Goten walked over to the desk, only to find it full small concealable weapons. He tried to think over different scenarios in his head, but all of them came back to Tarble’s small size. “How do you attack people?”

The younger prince jumped onto his bed and laughed. “I’m an assassin, kid. I kill from the shadows.”

Now that made sense. “So you sneak up on people and kill them?”

“Basically,” Tarble said with a smirk. “It matters on the target. They don’t take my size into account. All they see is a short, weak man. If I was the size of Onuin, they would see me as a threat.”

“But that gives you the advantage. Your weakness becomes your strength,” Goten said, he was kind of impressed.

“Exactly,” the Prince said. “But I have to rely on stealth as well. I can’t just go in and start hacking.”

Goten thought over the Prince’s words, but then was brought back to last night. “So, the galactic prince is your target?”

Tarble nodded. “I have to take more neurotoxins though. Those squids have a lot issues with them.”

The half-blood laughed. “The galactic royal family is made up of squids?”

“They don’t call themselves that, but that’s not going to stop me from calling them that. Especially if they don’t like it,” Tarble said.

“Don’t squids live in water?” Goten asked.

“Normally, but these are a different race. They aren’t like us, so there’s going to be some oddities,” the Prince explained.

“That just means that you have to know more about your target before you get started,” the half-blood stated. “How much research do you do on a target before you kill them?”

“It’s a lot. I have to know about the race, schedules, personal traits, among other things,” Tarble said, putting a strange looking spike into his bag.

“What is that?” Goten asked, he noted the harpoon like end.

“That’s a Harger. It’s a pretty basic weapon, but it will do the job,” the Prince said, taking it in his hand.

The half saiyan looked down at it curiously. “How do you use it?” He noted Tarble’s face before changing what he asked. “I meant, where would you strike one of those squids with one?”

Tarble chuckled. “You have to slam it down on the top of the head. That way it slices the brain open.” The Prince waited for the kid to cringe, but Goten was on the edge of his seat. It looked like the boy wanted to know more.

“Then what do you do? I mean, after the kill is done?” the half saiyan asked.

The Prince moved over, sitting next to Goten on the bed. “Usually, I just leave it for someone to find. I do wash myself off, it can be messy.”

“I bet.” Goten couldn’t help but laugh. “I keep imagining blood pouring out of his head like a hose.” This shouldn’t have been funny, but the half-blood couldn’t help but laugh at the image.

Tarble chuckled. “Would the fact that the blood is hot pink help you with that image?”

Goten fell back against the bed, he was holding his stomach. “The…ha…the only way that…haha would be funnier…is…ha if it was…like…hahaha.” He couldn’t finish his sentence.

“After you get your first kill, you’ll get to see it for yourself,” Tarble said with a grin.

Goten stopped laughing and looked up at the ceiling. “How do you do it?”

“What do you mean?” Tarble asked.

“How do you kill people without the guilt?” Goten wondered why all of them looked at ease with the idea.

“I’ve been killing as long as I can remember. Besides, they are under us and we have job to do,” Tarble explained.

“Under us?” the half-blood pondered.

“Compared to the rest of the races out there. We were made to be fighters,” Tarble said, jumping off of the bed. “The perfect race of warriors that could never be matched. That is what a saiyan is.” He could tell that he had the boy’s attention. “We’re better than them, but they disrespect us.”

“But don’t you think that they disrespect saiyans because they kill them?” Goten asked.

“No, they were this way before that. The galaxy is a harsh place, Goten. It’s full of thieves and thugs that all want the same thing. Power. It’s only a matter of who is willing to step forward and use that power,” Tarble stated.

Goten thought over those words. “But how do you find the resolve to step forward?”

Tarble smirked. “You have a lot of questions about this. Are you planning on killing someone?”

Goten jumped up. “No…no.” He shook his head. “It’s…I was just wondering.”

“Wondering often leads to great things,” the Prince grinned.

Goten sighed. “I still don’t know what great things can happen if I kill someone.”

“You’ll understand soon.” Tarble moved over towards the desk once more. “I think I got everything.”

Goten nodded. “So, what now?” He knew that it was going to be a while till he could train with Vegeta. Negi and Onuin would have to be ready to pass out before he could get back in the gravity chamber.

Tarble moved passed Goten. “How about I show you how to be stealthy?”

The half-blood’s ears perked up at that. It sounded like an interesting lesson. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”

* * *

 

Nappa had slept on the couch of Polar’s apartment. It was hard to get the giant away from Flambee.

Bulma couldn’t help but laugh. It was really cute. But they didn’t have time to laugh at Nappa. They needed to see if the parts were here yet.

As they walked through the hall, Aquaria came out of a side room. She gave Polar a glare. The Frost Demon knew that she blamed him for this. But her eyes looked up at Nappa. “You said that Cilica was your daughter.”

Nappa nodded. “What about it?”

Aquaria glared at him. “So you’re going to fawn over one of your grandchildren, just like that.”

Nappa froze, then looked down at Flambee in his arms. That thought had never crossed his mind. “I’m a grandpa…”

“Yes, I know that. What are you going to…” Aquaria started.

Nappa looked over at Bulma. “I have a grandson, Princess.” His eyes turned to Polar. “I have a grandson, Frost Demon.” He looked over at Aquaria. “This is wonderful. I must tell everyone.” With that he ran off telling everyone that would listen that he was a grandpa.

Polar chuckled. “So that’s were Onuin got it from.”

“Don’t tell me that he does that?” Bulma said.

Aquaria face-palmed. “Just imagine doing it when you have fifty children.”

Bulma turned pale. “50 kids?”

“My race breeds by laying eggs in water. Usually, they don’t all survive. Onuin and I got lucky, you could say.” The fish woman gave Bulma a smile.

There was a loud thud and they all turned to find Nappa passed out on the floor. Flambee was giggling on his chest. “Fifty…one…I have fifty-one grandchildren…How can I tell everyone?”

Bulma giggled. “Well, it looks like he’s happy.”

“Hopefully he can keep the kids busy while we try to install the new parts,” Polar said.

Bulma nodded. “We need to double our efforts.”

* * *

 

Vegeta looked over at Turles. It was passed lunch and they hadn’t seen Goten. The half-blood could have been slacking off, but the Prince bet that the kid was with Tarble.

Mata walked in. She was polishing one of her blasters. “Why are you still here, Prince Vegeta? Negi and Onuin left the chamber a couple of hours ago.”

“I’m waiting on the boy,” Vegeta explained.

She grinned. “I saw him this morning on the way to the armory. He was going to Tarble’s room.”

Vegeta nodded. “So he must be with Tarble then.”

Mata giggled. “I will say that the change looks good on him.” Turles grumbled something under his breath. “He looks more comfortable in his skin. I wonder what kind of girls he likes?”

Turles growled. “Why does that matter?”

“He’s a boy. He has to have a type. Most boys his age do,” Mata said. “Besides, we don’t want him to waste his newfound power on a woman that doesn’t understand him. Then he would be in the same boat as before.”

“Do you guys really have to talk about me when I’m not around?” Goten said walking in. He grabbed a tray and noticed that Vegeta and his uncle were staring at him. Mata was giggling. “What?”

Vegeta smirked. “I see that you’ve changed out of those rags.”

Goten looked down at his outfit and turned red. “I can’t just wear the same thing all of the time.”

Turles grinned. “So how does it feel?”

“I didn’t think it would be this comfy,” Goten answered. “I figured that it would bunch and pinch.”

Vegeta chuckled. “You may want to look at getting some armor for it. You can’t just run around in a jumpsuit.”

“Yeah, but this is just for now,” Goten explained.

Mata giggled. “So how about you answer my question from earlier? What kind of girls do you like?”

Goten stared at her as if she had grown another head. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Just name off some things, you would like in a mate,” Mata pressed, making Turles growl.

Goten shrugged. “I guess the only thing I wouldn’t like is if they were overbearing like my mother.” He looked over at Vegeta. “Why am I being asked this?”

The Prince chuckled. “I guess she wants to be nosy.”

“What kind of woman would you want?” Goten asked. He knew Vegeta and Bulma were married, but now that the Prince’s mind was wiped, he couldn’t help but feel curious.

The Prince pondered that question. “Well, I guess that she couldn’t be an idiot. I would prefer a mate with a brain. Maybe someone with a little bite to them. A female that wouldn’t back down to me, but at the same time understood what I am.”

Goten thought about saying something, but stayed quiet. He didn’t want to start a scene. Instead he turned to his uncle. “What about you, Uncle Turles? What kind of girls do you like?”

Mata’s eyes stared at Turles as she turned red. His uncle blushed. “Don’t worry about that.”

The half-blood rolled his eyes. It was really obvious. It looked like he was going to have to egg the man on. “There has to be someone you like. They may even be around here.”

Turles backed away then walked out to Mata’s dismay. “I think I’m going to go talk to him. He’s been a little off as of late.” She sighed following Turles out of the room.

Vegeta chuckled. “It’s about time those two just hooked up.”

“I could see that from a mile away,” Goten laughed.

“We should probably get our training in,” Vegeta said, motioning for the half-blood to follow. “You’re starting to look like a saiyan.”

Goten pondered those words. “Well, I am part saiyan.”

“What about being human because you were raised by humans?” Vegeta asked with a grin.

“I don’t know,” Goten said. That was the only answer he had these days. Everything inside of him was pulling him in different directions, but he wasn’t sure which side would win.

As the Prince stood across from him in the gravity chamber, Goten relaxed. At least he could push those thoughts away for now and just fight. Everything always worked out when he was fighting. The storm inside of him calmed, but raged at the same time. All he wanted was answers…but it looked like he was going to need more time to find those.

To Be Continued…


	13. Chapter 13

Goten looked around him. He had been here for about three weeks now and while he could feel himself growing stronger, he was still confused by how he ended up here.

He watched Vegeta stretch as they finished up for the day, but he felt curious. He still didn’t know anything about saiyan culture. “Prince Vegeta…”

The prince stopped his stretch and grinned. The boy’s face betrayed him. The half saiyan wanted to talk about something. “What do you want to know?” Vegeta pondered what could possibly be on the boy’s mind. It could really be anything.

“What was Planet Vegeta like?” Goten asked, watching the prince’s face change. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” the half-blood said quickly.

Vegeta walked over to a panel, taking out some water and tossing one to the kid. “No, you need to know.” He motioned for the boy to follow him. Goten was surprised that they were leaving the gravity room, but didn’t question the prince. Vegeta took note of that. The boy was starting to take to his place. He was really fitting in with everyone, even if Negi was still against it. The sweeper wouldn’t question his authority though. “I have some memories of home, but Cilica would probably know better than me. She’s a year older than me.”

The half-blood nodded. He had run into Cilica more than once and she was quite friendly with him. At the same time, he sensed that crossing her wouldn’t be wise.

As they reached the mess hall, Goten was sure that this was the meeting place for them. It kind of made sense. Saiyans like to eat and if they were going to gather somewhere, having food close was probably a good idea.

Cilica was sitting there with a map. She was planning out her mission. Just thinking about it, made the half-blood wonder what Tarble was doing. The smaller prince had been gone for a long time, but that probably had to do with space travel. The assassin was using public transportation so that he didn’t look too suspicious.

Vegeta smirked down at the map. “What does that lizard have you stealing this time?” He sat down as she glared at him.

“You know, calling Frieza a lizard could get you in serious trouble,” she answered.

“It’s a waste of your abilities.” Vegeta growled. “You belong on a battlefield, not chasing after some random piece of art that he wants.”

Cilica looked up at Goten. “How do you deal with him?”

The half-blood shrugged. “It’s a living.” That earned him a laugh, but he couldn’t help but feel curious. “What are you really stealing?” It couldn’t just be some artwork like the prince said.

She smiled up at him, then motioned for him to sit down. She tossed him a picture and waited for his response. She could tell that he was confused. “It’s a computer chip. Normally, they would send in Turles for such a thing, but when there is laser security, they call me.”

The half-blood raised an eyebrow. “People actually use lasers? I thought that only showed up in movies.” He noticed that neither saiyan knew what a movie was. “A movie is a video with actor’s playing out some kind of story.” The two nodded in understanding. “But yeah, where I’m from that kind of stuff is only in the movies.”

Cilica giggled at the boy. The half-blood was just so innocent about everything. She couldn’t wait until the boy got his first kill in. She looked forward to his transformation. “So, you know how difficult that can be. I’m smaller in size, so I can maneuver around them with ease.”

“Can you show me sometime?” He didn’t mean to sound so forward, but knowing something like that could come in handy.

The female saiyan laughed. “I’ll show you after I get back.” She heard Vegeta clear his throat and looked over at him. They didn’t come here to talk about her stealing things. “So, why did you two come up here?” She knew it was just best to ask and get it over with.

Goten looked away, turning red. “I…I just wanted to know what Planet Vegeta was like.”

She looked back at the prince, knowing that Vegeta could answer this on his own, but then a light bulb went off in her head. The prince needed the boy to get close to them. It was the only way for Goten to bond with the horde. “It’s hard to describe. What about our home do you want to know?”

The half-blood sighed. “I don’t know. I just have too many questions…I don’t know where to start.”

Vegeta chuckled, he liked this curiosity. If the boy was showing an interest, then there was no reason to fear. “How about you start with the planet itself? Then we can get to anything that the boy wants to know.”

Cilica nodded. “For the most part, our planet was made up of canyons and rock formations. There wasn’t that much greenery due to all of the sparring,” she giggled. “The only time that the planet became lush was when the moon came out, but that was rare.”

Goten felt confused. “How was it rare?”

Vegeta chuckled. “It only came out every ten years.” He could see the stunned look on the boy’s face.

“The one on Earth came out every month…every once and a while it would be twice in a month,” Goten explained. “But that would explain why the Ozzaru form didn’t destroy everything.”

Cilica nodded. “Gunjle Rush was usually held on other planets, but there was a bigger festival when it took place on our home planet. I think I was three when the last one happened, so I don’t remember how big the festivities were. You would have to ask the old man…if he’s still around,” she said in disgust. It was hard to believe that that oaf was her father.

“How do hordes work?” Goten had been having questions about the group since the beginning, but he had never gotten any feedback on how the horde came together.

Vegeta smirked at that. “Well, it depends. Usually, they are made up of saiyans and on some rare occasions other races.”

“Those saiyans form a brotherhood or sisterhood,” Cilica explained. “Families on Planet Vegeta were often torn apart by war. Most of the time, you wouldn’t see your parents or siblings, so children and adults would form family like bonds with members of their squads. It made those squads stronger, leading to the horde dynamic.”

“So, it’s a lot like a pack, in a way.” Goten thought over their words. What they said sounded a lot like the stories he had heard about the z warriors. His father’s friends made up his horde. The half-blood winced as he realized his brother was a part of that group, but being here, he already knew that he had been rejected. It was the same with Trunks, Bra, and Pan. They didn’t belong to a horde, neither did they make one. They were friends, but he couldn’t see Trunks having his back like they did here.

“You’re lost,” Cilica said, getting the half-blood’s attention. “You were never placed into a horde, so you feel useless. You have trouble trusting your comrades because you know they don’t trust you.”

Goten sighed. “I just wasn’t good enough.”

Vegeta elbowed him. “That train of thought needs to stop. A saiyan is nothing without his confidence.” He would drill this into the boy’s head if he had to.

The half-blood sighed. “It’s kind of hard to be confident when you’ve been thrown away.”

“But you’re not being tossed to the side,” Cilica said, making Goten perk up. “They didn’t see your potential, we do.” It was time that the half-blood knew their intentions.

Goten’s eyes went wide. “You…” He stared at the prince. “You want me in the horde?” He was shocked.

Vegeta chuckled, seeing the joy in the boy’s eyes. The thief had done well. Now he knew that the half-blood wished to be one of them. “You can keep up with us. Your training is doing incredibly well. All you need to do is overcome that little problem you have.”

The half-blood turned red. The only thing standing in his way was the fact that he couldn’t kill anyone. Suddenly, he was trying to think up scenarios where he could justify taking someone’s life. Maybe he could ask the others and get a good answer from them.

Vegeta grinned at Cilica. He liked what he was seeing. The boy was really coming along. All they needed was more time. The prince’s mind flashed to a man that looked like Turles, only he was wearing a strange orange outfit. He felt extreme pleasure at how distraught that man would be once he found his son. Kakarot was going to be livid. The prince tensed up. Was the man he had just thought up, the real Kakarot? Maybe he needed to get his mind checked. He chuckled to himself. Raditz had said that Kakarot was a traitor. He could only imagine how crushing it would be to steal the man’s son from him. Then again, it didn’t seem like this Kakarot cared about the boy. Goten was going to be a murderous member of the horde and there was nothing that Kakarot could do about it.

* * *

 

Bulma sighed as a couple of officers came in. They had been out here for a long time, but all they came across were planets that had some impact on them. Stolen items and information could have been anyone though. There were some cleared planets, but again, it could have been any one of Frieza’s soldiers. She already knew that most were tried for such things.

Polar had begun to argue with the officers. “We need more time!” he snapped at them. “Frieza will be making a move soon, I just know it.”

“We cannot hold these people here forever!” a strange alien with blue tentacles shouted. “They are depleting our resources.”

“You know as well as I do that Frieza will go after them!” Polar argued.

“We don’t know that. He hasn’t done anything yet!” the higher-ranking officer snapped back. “He just grabbed some of his old cohorts.”

“He took them against their will. Besides, you know that these aren’t just his cohorts,” Polar said, standing his ground.

The man sighed. “You have too many emotions to be on this case. I’ll assign another agent to the case.”

“You think I’m going to back away from this? My wife is out there!” The frost demon couldn’t help it. He thought about his wife being out there with a pervert like Negi. Sure, Cilky could take care of herself, but he still didn’t like the idea of anyone staring at his wife like that.

“That’s why we need another officer on this. You’re too invested, meaning that you might be missing something in your rage,” the officer said, then gave the agent a sympathetic look. “Just clear some of these people out of here. We can’t support this many civilians.”

Polar sighed. “I guess I can send some of them back home. Their planets are close enough.” If needed, Aquaria and her children could come back.

Bulma watched as the officer left. “Who is being shipped out?”

The frost demon looked up at her. “Those that aren’t helping. So most likely the royals will be leaving.”

She nodded. It would be nice if Rouge would go home, but Bulma knew better than to bring that up. She didn’t want that strange alien to try and kill her. “I should go and talk with my children.” She knew that they were training with Goku, well, except Bra. Her daughter had been helping out with some of the tech around here.

Polar gave her a nod before she left. She only wished that someone or something would give her a sign, but knowing Vegeta, that sign would be something she didn’t want to see.

She found Trunks in the ship. He was breathing hard after his training session. She could hear Goku and Gohan coming out of the back. Pan was grabbing herself something to drink. “How is everyone holding up?” she asked.

Goku sighed. “Well, we’re going to need repairs soon.” Before, he wondered why Vegeta broke the gravity room so much, but now that he had been using one for a long time, he understood just how temperamental one could be.

“I can look at it tomorrow,” Bulma answered. “That or Bra could look it over.” She wondered where her daughter was right now.

“I think she’s worried about Uncle Goten,” Pan said, causing everyone to look at her. “She’s been really scatter-brained since he left.”

Bulma sighed, then smiled. She had seen Goten come by more than once when Trunks wasn’t around. It didn’t take a genius to see where those two were headed. She wasn’t really thrilled about Goten’s need to sleep around though. “Well, when you find her, have her look over the ship and run some diagnostics.”

Trunks’s eyes narrowed. His mother was keeping something to herself. “Do you know something about Bra and Goten?” He didn’t like the sound of this at all.

“Oh, he just popped over from time to time when you weren’t home.” Bulma rolled her eyes. “You’re not his only friend. I think they were playing video games once or twice.” She laughed. “I remember that they were talking about some boy that wouldn’t leave your sister alone once, and Goten offered to get rid of him. I think it’s more of a brother/sister sort of thing with them.”

Trunks breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Kami.” The last thing he wanted was for his best friend to be going after his sister.

Pan pouted. “Why didn’t Bra say something to me about it?” She was supposed to be the heiress’s best friend.

“It probably wasn’t a big deal and Goten took care of it,” Bulma sighed, the more she thought about it, that wasn’t the only conversation she had witnessed. There was one more that she wasn’t going to bring up here. One that made her giddy and worried at the same time.

Goku pondered what Bulma had been saying. If only Goten could have used his time more constructively. He was still mad that his son had run off. His disappointment had never gone away. Once he got home, he would give Goten a piece of his mind. His son was not going to make a fool out of him.

To Be Continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Goku had gone back to the ship. He wanted to train without being disturbed. Besides, Gohan and Bulma had everything taken care of.

On his way to the gravity room, he looked down at Goten’s bag. It was such a shame that his son had left them. Even now, he didn’t understand the boy. It just seemed odd to him that his son didn’t want to fight. Sure, Gohan didn’t really care for it either, but his eldest understood the gravity of the situation.

He picked up the bag and opened it. It wouldn’t hurt to see what his son had left behind. There was the usual clothing and toiletries, but there was also something odd in there. Why did Goten pack a gi? Hell, where did his son even get one? It threw the fighter for a loop. Why didn’t Goten just wear it? He could have just said that he wanted to train…of course, Goku knew that he could be reading it wrong. It may have just been an extra for himself and not for his son at all.

He sighed, putting the bag away. It was best that he forgot about what he had seen. Goten wasn’t a fighter. He remembered when Chichi told him that Goten wanted to grow up to be just like Gohan. Goku didn’t hate the idea…he just disliked the fact that unlike Gohan, Goten didn’t want to train. It seemed so strange for a saiyan, but his son never brought it up, so Goku just decided to forget about it.

He walked out of the room, only to hear some beeping from the front of the ship. The fighter made his way to the front of the ship to find a red button blinking. He pushed the button, only to come face to face with his wife. “Chichi?” he asked, but noted that she didn’t look happy at all.

“Goku, do you know what that apprentice of yours has been doing?!” Chichi snapped.

He shook his head. “He’s supposed to be looking after Earth. Is he slacking on his duties?”

“Instead of looking after Earth, he’s been busy deflowering Pan!” Chichi almost snarled.

Goku blinked up at the screen as he took in those words. He shook his head. “Uub…he wouldn’t…”

“I finally cornered him a few hours ago and got him to spill the beans,” Chichi shouted. “Between Me, Videl, and Piccolo, the boy will be in pain for a while, plus he’s not leaving this house until you get back!”

Goku growled low in his throat. “I can’t believe that Pan’s never brought any of this up.” He looked back up at his wife. “Where did you find out about it?”

Chichi smirked, crossing her arms across her chest. “Goten called me and told me everything.”

Goku looked down, then froze. “Goten…called you?”

Chichi laughed. “Yes, he called me about a week ago when you were busy.” She sounded super proud of Goten. “Just imagine when Gohan finds out. I bet that boy will be a dead man.”

“You said that Goten called you,” Goku said once more. He thought Goten was at home, but then remembered what Chichi had said. His son had told her that they were busy. But from the sound of it, Goten had called before he had gotten to Earth…which he should have already been at by now.

“Well, yes. He called me last week,” Chichi said with a smile. “Goku, dear, why do you look so pale?”

This couldn’t be right. Goten had run off to go back home. At least, that’s what he thought. Now Goku felt guilty. He had written off Goten so easily and now he had no idea where his son was. He wanted to panic, but he couldn’t do it in front of his wife. If she knew that Goten had gone missing, he would never hear the end of it. “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night. That’s why I came back to the ship,” he lied.

She gave him a nod. “Just tell the boys hi for me,” his wife said before disappearing.

Goku backed away from the screen and against the wall. He was wrong. All this time, he thought that Goten left to go back home, but now he knew better. Either his son had hidden his Ki from him or he was taken. Guilt began to go through him. He immediately thought the worst of his son and now there was no guarantee of finding him. Space was far too vast for that.

“Dad, what are you doing down there?” Gohan asked, he had come back to the ship to grab his clothes.

“Your brother called your mother,” Goku said quietly.

Gohan rolled his eyes. “What did he want?”

“He called her from somewhere in space…he never went back home,” Goku muttered.

Gohan froze. “He…what?”

“He spoke with your mother for a few minutes…she said that he told her that we were busy when she asked about us,” the fighter said to his son.

Gohan couldn’t believe it. “He…he should have been back on Earth by then…” Didn’t Goten leave to go on that date of his? If that wasn’t the case then…his little brother was lost in space. He thought back to that day. Goten had wanted to go with him. His brother must have been enticed out of the ship. Goten didn’t want to stay with the ship. His brother must have had a fascination with the new planet and got curious. “He could have been kidnapped.”

“I…I know.” Goku looked down. “I really thought the worst of him.” What kind of father was he?

“We all did,” Gohan said. “We’ll make it up to him when we find him.”

Goku sighed. “Now we have to find Vegeta and Goten.” It was then that he remembered why Chichi had called. “On another note, we should be keeping an eye on Pan.”

Gohan gave his father a puzzled look. “Why? She seems to be doing fine with this trip.”

“Goten ended up spilling the beans to your mother. Apparently, Pan is dating Uub.” Goku waited for his son to respond.

“No…if she was dating anyone…she would have told me.” Gohan was trying to stay calm, but the idea of his little girl dating at her age was not sitting well with him at all.

“That’s not everything,” Goku said, closing his eyes. “They may be active as well.”

Gohan snarled, “That boy dared to touch her?!”

“He’s already been attacked by your mother, Videl, and Piccolo,” Goku said. “I’ll be having a stern talk with him when I get back.”

“Pan isn’t leaving the house,” Gohan growled, then he wondered why Goten didn’t just tell him. Why was Goten saying this now? “Do you think that Goten is mad at Pan or Uub?”

Goku shrugged. “I don’t know why he would be mad at either of them. All we can do is ask him…that is if we can find him.”

“We’ll find him, Dad. All we got to do is retrace his steps,” Gohan said with a smile.

“But what if he doesn’t want to be found?” Goku couldn’t help but feel wary about his youngest son’s fate. If Goten had lied to Chichi, then maybe he was somewhere that he didn’t want to leave.

“He’ll want found. Besides, he’s got to come back and go after all of the ladies,” Gohan said, trying to get his dad to laugh.

Goku gave his son a smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I bet he’s at some bar right now, living it up.”

Gohan gave him a nod. “We can focus on finding Vegeta and the others, then we can look for Goten.”

Goku sighed. He wished that Goten hadn’t run off, but at least now he knew the truth. He just hoped that his son didn’t catch some disease out there. That would be horrible.

* * *

 

Goten just barely dodged out of the way. Vegeta’s punches were going a lot faster than they did before. The half-blood panted as he made to throw a punch of his own, landing it right in the prince’s gut.

Vegeta drew back a bit with a grin on his face. “That’s the first time that you’ve gotten a hit on me.”

Goten stared at his fist. “I didn’t really do much damage though.”

Vegeta flew down to the floor and motioned for the boy to follow. The half-blood did just that and he looked over the boy. “I believe that we’ve reached a stopping point for today.”

“But, Vegeta, can’t we train for another five or ten minutes?” Goten asked.

The prince smirked. “How about I just go over some changes you need to make?” The half saiyan nodded and the prince moved around. “First, your stance is a little off.” Vegeta walked around, putting the boy into a better fighting position. “This stance will prepare you for any kind of attack you need to use, plus it keeps you defended as well.”

Goten took in what Vegeta was saying. “So, I need to practice this? What else?”

The prince walked over and pushed a button. There were a lot of targets that shot up. “Try to hit them.”

Goten was sending blasts at them but they all moved too quickly. “Why don’t they stay still?”

Vegeta chuckled. “You think that your enemy is going to just stand there and let you attack it?”

Goten turned red. “No…”

The prince closed his eyes, firing at each target and hitting them without fail. “You’ll be able to do that as well with some proper training.”

The half-blood looked over at the prince. When had Vegeta become so cool? “But I thought that our training was done for today. You know that it’s going to take me forever to be as good as you.”

The prince chuckled. “I won’t be teaching you that.”

“But you said that I…” Goten started.

“Mata is our sniper. If you want to know how to hit those targets, then train with her,” Vegeta said with a grin. He could see the gears turning in the boy’s head. “But until then, how about you give me some pushups?”

Goten dropped to the ground with a smile on his face. He could feel himself becoming stronger with each training session. As he started to do each of his pushups, pushing himself up with one finger as the prince made him do, a new fear filled him. What if he had to leave? If things went back to the way they used to be, then he would never get to train again. His fears drove him forward, his body felt weird as he continued his pushups. He couldn’t go back to that. He didn’t want to go back to that classroom or the disappointment from his parents and brother. He wanted to stay here with the horde.

Goten froze mid-pushup. Was this really what he wanted? His friends and family were probably worried about him. ‘You know that they’re not worried. They would have tried to look for you.’ That voice inside of his said.

“Kid, why did you stop?” Vegeta could see the torn look on the boy’s face. Goten had something on his mind.

“I don’t know,” Goten said. “I’m so tired of that.”

“You’re tired of not knowing?” Vegeta chuckled. “Welcome to adulthood.”

“So it never becomes easier?” Goten asked, looking up at the prince.

Vegeta thought it over. “No, I don’t think so.” The prince kept his eyes on the half-blood. “But what is it that you don’t know now?”

Goten sighed and looked down at the floor. “I’m just not sure about what I’m going to do.” The prince stayed quiet so he could elaborate. “I was thinking about home…but I’m not sure if I want to even go back.”

Vegeta smirked. “You’re learning about yourself out here. If you ever go back, it will never be the same.”

“What do you mean?” Goten asked.

Vegeta chuckled. “You can get out of the position, just follow me and I’ll explain.”

The half-blood pulled himself up from the floor. His shoulder stung a little from holding him up. He was already all ears. Anything the prince said to him, he took seriously.

“You’ve been in the dark for too long, kid,” Vegeta said, walking up to the door panel and leading them out of the gravity room. This was going to be an important lesson. The prince moved quickly, punching a panel that turned off the power to the downstairs.

“Why did you do that?!” Goten asked in shock.

“Calm yourself. Are you afraid of the dark?” Vegeta asked.

“I…I’m not a child.” It was strange, as he looked around the pitch-black darkness, he couldn’t help but have images rush him. His mother was standing at his side, yelling at him about homework. He looked out the window of his room, only to find Uub training with his dad. The two of them looked happy. Goten’s eyes went down to his test paper, there was a giant F on the front.

Voices surrounded him, his father, Trunks, Piccolo, and finally his mother. “What do you have to say for yourself, Young Man?!” “Really, Goten, why are you so dumb?” “You had to get that from your father.” “Why can’t you be more like Gohan?”

He closed his eyes. He couldn’t even sense Vegeta in the darkness. He was alone. The half-blood started to walk forward, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look, only to find his father standing there. “Goten, you need to listen to your mother.”

“But Dad…I want to train. I want to fight,” Goten growled, his fears were turning into a new emotion. Rage.

“But I have Uub for that. You’re too weak,” Goku said with a smile.

The half-blood threw a punch, striking his father in the face. Making him disappear into the darkness.

Now Uub stood before him. “Come on, Goten, don’t be like that. Some people aren’t made for battle.”

“Says the worthless human,” Goten said, snarling. He dove forward, his fist hit Uub’s head making him fall to the floor. The half-saiyan pounced on the human with a twisted grin as he pummeled him. Goten began to laugh as his fists felt wet, but he kept going. Goten only stopped as he felt a light on his back. He stood, not looking at anything in front of him. He only turned to find Vegeta standing there.

He was going to talk to the prince, but then realized what he was seeing was a flash back. He had to be six, his father was still dead. Vegeta had just called Trunks into the gravity room. It was time for Goten to go home. The small boy looked down at the ground, he wanted to cry. Only for someone to ruffle his hair. “Just get in there, kid,” Vegeta said. “I will not let your potential be wasted while Kakarot’s six feet under.”

The older Goten was stunned. How had he forgotten this? Did this mean that Vegeta was always on his side? It was strange that the only one that took interest in him was the prince, even now.

Goten began to walk through the darkness, finding the stairs and taking them up to the second floor. His eyes burned as he walked into the light. The first thing he came face to face with was the horde. Vegeta grinned at him. “I wondered why you were taking so long. What were you doing down there?”

“I…” The half-blood blushed, then looked down at his hands. “Where did this come from?” There was a green ooze all over his hands and clothes.

“Maybe a pipe is broken down there?” Turles said, looking at the prince. He could clearly smell what was on his nephew.

“Goten, why don’t you go clean yourself up before dinner?” Cilica said. “There should be a couple of new jumpsuits in your room.”

“Thanks, Cil.” He left and everyone turned to look at the female saiyan.

She giggled. “He’s coming along quite well. Isn’t he?”

Vegeta smirked at the green blood on the floor. “I guess the mechanic I ordered ran into my apprentice.” He couldn’t help but feel proud. “Let’s go check out the body.” Cilica and Turles followed him. The others stayed behind in the mess hall.

Turles moved over to the breaker, fixing it in seconds. He knew that Vegeta must’ve planned this; they never needed techs from the main base out here.

The group made it downstairs, only to come across what looked like a hunk of meat on the floor. The green blood was everywhere. Vegeta grinned darkly. “I knew it.” He prince kicked the former tech, but the hunk of meat groaned, making the prince frown. He blasted the man in the head, killing him. “Tomorrow his training will intensify,” Vegeta said.

Cilica laughed. “Anything for your apprentice.”

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at that. “I didn’t say that.”

“You did.” She laughed. “Does that mean that you care for the boy?”

Vegeta turned around and blushed. “He’s just a kid. Nothing more.”

Turles was looking around at the blood spatter. “It looks like he gave into his fury.”

The prince grinned. “I told you that his fury will be powerful.”

“Powerful enough to be your right-hand man then?” Turles teased. Vegeta growled, but Turles continued. “You do spend a lot of time with him.”

“He’s the only other super saiyan,” Vegeta argued.

“I don’t think that’s it,” Cilica said. “You like having him around. Just admit it.”

Vegeta grumbled something under his breath.

“And from the look of it, I would say that he sees you like a son would see his father,” Turles said. “Considering what the boy got.”

Vegeta didn’t know why, but he felt warm at that idea. The kid was what he wanted in a son. The boy was strong, and with each day he grew stronger. The boy talked properly and took to any challenge with ease. Finally, the prince caved. “The boy is growing on me, that’s all.” Vegeta walked over to the wall and slid his finger through the blood on it. “Besides, he’s going to join the horde, it’s best that he grows on me.”

“So, he’s really going to be one of us?” Turles said with excitement. The fact that his nephew was getting this much praise from Vegeta was kind of exciting.

Vegeta smirked. “Without a doubt.”

To Be Continued…


	15. Chapter 15

Tarble stayed close to the darkness. He had to or he would be noticed. The galactic prince was heading back to his room. The stage was set for his attack. Once the prince was alone, the assassin could do his job.

Tarble moved around the side of the building quickly, pouncing inside a window after he opened it. He crouched low on the ground before closing the window behind him. He had scoped out the room the day before and knew where he would deliver the final blow. He smirked to himself as he walked over to the large bed, rolling under it with ease. He knew that the prince would come in and expect a shower. Then they could be all alone. It was the only time that the squid let his servants leave. It was a prime opportunity.

He stilled his breathing as he the door opened and the squid told his staff to leave him be. The assassin knew that they would be standing guard though, so he would have to be extra quiet.

Tarble kept his eyes on the prize, watching as the squid moved across the room. Clothing fell to the floor and the assassin rolled his eyes as the squid began to hum. Why did this fucker think that he needed to waste as much time as possible?

Finally, the squid went into the bathroom and Tarble heard the stray from the shower start up. The saiyan grinned, creeping out from under the bed. His weapon was already in hand as he opened and closed the door to the bathroom behind him. Using his speed and skill, he crept through the room, quietly. Making sure that the alien didn’t notice him.

The shower curtain opened, only for Tarble to jump up and behind the squid. The saiyan prince made a short jump then slammed all of his weight down on the top of the squid’s head. Tarble quickly covered the prince’s mouth, cutting off any sound that the squid could have made. He pulled up on the harper and sliced the head open, forcing the brain out onto the floor. The blood sprayed all over the walls.

The assassin chuckled as he thought about what Goten had said. It really was like a hose. He would have to tell the boy about it.

Tarble moved over to the only free wall, before painting his message in blood. It had been a long time since he had done this. It was time to let the galaxy know that they were back.

He washed off before he left the room. Getting as far away from the hotel as possible. He only heard the news as he walked through a security terminal, but before anyone could even think to question him. He was in his pod and on his way back to base.

The saiyan prince chuckled. Did they really think that they could catch them? Even if it had been a couple of decades, they would prevail. They weren’t the perfect warriors for nothing.

* * *

 

Polar looked over the group as they all came in. Finally, the satellites were up and running again. He had thanked Bulma more than once, most of their techs weren’t that proficient.

But now he had to focus as he told a bunch of women the truth about their husbands. He groaned as they surrounded him. He already had his program ready. Now he was just going to have to wait for them to respond to what he was about to show them.

“Look, Polar, can we cut the crap?” Rouge said. “You’re looking at this all wrong. Kasi and the others were taken because of me.” The woman said with a smile on her face.

The Frost Demon wanted to knock the smile off of her face, so he moved so that he could turn on the screen above him. It filled with the faces of their loved ones. But under each face was a bounty. The photos were old, but the bounties were current. “Do you think it’s about you now?”

Rouge stood up, looking at the picture. “This isn’t Kasi, his hair is wrong.”

Polar sighed. “That’s the way it was before you met him.” Was nothing going to get through to this woman?

“That’s not Onuin!” Aquaria said, pointing at the photo. “His hair is too long.”

“He’s lost hair since then.” Polar said getting annoyed.

“They must have the wrong person. Tarble would never do anything like this.” Gure argued.

“I don’t have the wrong person.” Polar said, face-palming.

Bulma stood up from her chair and moved towards the picture on the wall. She felt both of her children put their hands on her shoulder, almost as if they were trying to comfort her. She frowned as she looked up at it. “This is wrong.”

“So you’re going to argue with me too?” Polar said with irritation.

Bulma gave the frost demon a smile. “The bounty is wrong. There is no way that Vegeta’s bounty would be that low.”

Trunks and Bra’s faces looked at their mother in complete horror. “Mom, you don’t know what you are saying.” Trunks tried to argue.

Bulma giggled. “I know what I married. Hell, it’s hard to deny it.” She looked up at the photo. “I remember that day when he showed up on Earth for the first time. I probably would have liked him better if he didn’t cause the death of former fling, but what’s a girl to do?”

“Wait, wait, wait…Dad killed Yamcha?” Bra said in shock.

Bulma laughed. “Well, you could say that. One of the synthetic lifeforms blew up after landing on Yamcha, but Vegeta did order for them to be used on Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, and Tien…I believe Gohan was there too.”

Trunks was staring at his mother. “How the hell did you marry him?”

“Wouldn’t you hate him for killing Yamcha?” Bra asked.

Bulma kept looking at the picture. “Can I have a copy of that? It’s hard to get good photos of Vegeta.”

Polar was gaping at her. “You want a copy of it…?”

“Yes, I would like one. He does look good in that shot. It might look good on my desk at work.” Bulma giggled. “But back to the topic at hand, I know my husband has caused more carnage than that bounty says.”

Polar sighed. “They haven’t been active in decades…so yes, their bounties did go down.”

“Can I see the real numbers?” Bulma really did want to see what her husband was worth. Not that she would ever take the money, but it would be funny to compare her net worth to his bounty.

Polar messed with the controls and the numbers changed rapidly. He looked over to find Bulma smiling. Just what did Vegeta marry? “Better?”

Bulma smiled. “Yes.”

All of the other women were looking at Bulma as if she was insane, but Bra and Trunks were still looking for answers. “If Dad has a bounty on his head, what did he do?” Trunks asked.

Bulma sighed. It was time that they knew everything. “Your father used to clear planets for Frieza.”

“Clear planets…?” Bra asked.

Bulma’s smile faded. “Vegeta grew up a soldier. He did what he was told under Frieza. It didn’t matter who he killed, men, women, children, it didn’t matter. All he had to do was clear the planet out, so that Frieza could sell it.”

Bra opened her mouth and closed it more than once. She really couldn’t believe it. Her father had done all of that. “How could you marry him?” She asked.

“That’s a long story.” Bulma said.

“I don’t get it. How could dad do any of that?” Trunks said clearly in shock.

Bulma looked down. “Over the years, your father just pushed all of his emotions to the side. The only things he really felt were anger and pride.” She looked up at her children. “By the time he came to Earth, he already had a plan for us. He was going to use the dragonballs to make himself immortal, then go after Frieza.”

Polar found that interesting. “Why go after Frieza? I thought that the horde was completely loyal to him.”

Bulma shook her head. “My husband isn’t the type to be controlled. The gears in that head are always turning.” She tried to smile. “I think he wanted Frieza’s power for himself. After he was done with the dragonballs, he was going to destroy Earth.”

“Destroy Earth…mom…WHY?” Bra continued, she just couldn’t understand how her mother had fallen for her father if he was that wicked.

“Because Frieza could have just come to Earth to use them himself.” Bulma said with confidence. “It wasn’t after we got to Namek that Vegeta actually worked with us.”

“And even then, it was a pain.” Gohan said, walking in.

“Yeah, we only barely beat him on Earth. We got really lucky.” Goku said. “If Yajirobe, Krillin, and Gohan hadn’t shown up. I would have died…again.”

Bra couldn’t believe this. Her father had been stronger than Goku.

“Yeah, but remember, Dad, you still haven’t beaten him.” Gohan said with a laugh.

“Well, our first fight he did beat me, it was you three that took him out. I did weaken him a little though.” Goku said. “Our second fight was more of a draw.”

Bulma cleared her throat. “Anyway, after Frieza had been taken care of on Namek, your father came back to Earth. He really didn’t have anywhere to go, so I offered him a place to stay. I was still dating Yamcha at the time…but.”

“But what?” Trunks asked.

“Yamcha and I had been together for 15 years, some of that was off and on…but somewhere in all of that time, I noticed that his eyes roamed. One night, I walked in on him sleeping with another woman…” Bulma said.

Bra and Trunks stared at their mother in horror. “Who would cheat on you?” Bra said. “You have everything!”

Bulma giggled softly. “I was always busy…at least that’s what Yamcha said.” She looked away. “Your father would go out into space to train and come back. I fixed the gravity room a lot after Goku got back from space.”

“Well, all of us did have three years to get stronger.” Gohan said. “We did get that warning from the future.”

“The future?” Trunks asked.

Bulma giggled. “I version of you from the future showed up.” Trunks looked completely floored. “He warned us about an upcoming threat, so your father trained harder. We didn’t know it was a future you until later though.” She glared at Goku.

“What? He swore me to secrecy.” Goku said awkwardly.

“So, tell us more about you and dad.” Bra pushed.

“Your father stayed with me during those three years…but that night will stick out in my mind forever.” Bulma said. “After I came home from finding Yamcha in bed with someone else, I ran into your father. I was a crying mess and he stared at me. I was so surprised at what he said. He wasn’t the type to compliment anyone.”

“What did he say?” Bra asked. Finally, they were getting answers.

“Why is a genius like you crying over that reject?” Bulma laughed. “After that we continued our constant arguing, but I noticed that he didn’t dislike it. It was like he wanted me to argue with him. He wanted me to challenge him. The fact that I stood up to him when he could easily crush me, had to be a turn on for him.” Bulma smiled big. “And then there was the day in the gravity room where I tripped over some tools on the floor. I landed in his arms and before I knew it, I lost my favorite top.” Her children looked mortified. “About 9 months after that, Trunks was born.”

“I…I’m a bastard?” Trunks said in horror.

Bulma giggled. “Well, yeah. We didn’t get married until you were three. Vegeta didn’t really take the news of being a father well. It took him some time to warm up to the idea…Future Trunks helped him with that.” Bulma said. “At the same time, I was reaching out to him. Until eventually, we were a family. His old ways were gone, but he still trained. I really didn’t care too much about that. He was and still is a fighter, I knew what I was getting into before I invited him to stay.” Bulma felt her eyes begin to tear up. “It’s strange. He was the last person I thought I would ever fall for…I figured that he would be the type to leave and never come back…to sleep around with no remorse…but he never did. I always knew where he was and his eyes never roamed. Even at a party I made him go to about 5 years ago, they didn’t move off of me, no matter how many girls with large cleavage were there…his eyes stayed on me.” Bulma felt a sting of anguish. She wished that her husband was here.

Bra was taken aback. She really had no idea that her father had been so loving to her mother. Now she understood why her mother had been angry about her comment concerning Yamcha.

Nappa, who was messing with Flambee, spoke up. “I do wonder something about that…did he ever mark you?”

Trunks glared at the giant. “Mark…are you asking if he hit her?”

Nappa shook his head. “No, I meant a mate mark. Saiyan’s tend to do that to those that they love. A saiyan can sleep with anyone, but once a saiyan marks someone as their mate, it’s everlasting.”

Bulma touched the side of her neck. The scarf that she always kept around it, hid her secret. She pulled on it, letting everyone see it. “He did it a year after cell was destroyed.” Tears fell from her eyes. “I…didn’t know why he did it.” She fell to her knees. She had always known that Vegeta loved her, even if he never said it. Now that she knew what the mark meant, it made her wish that the real thing was in front of her…but he was somewhere out in space. Working for the man that he despised.

A couple of soldiers walked in with a small computer chip. “What are you two doing?” Polar asked.

“We are putting in an update from central.” One said as the other turned on another screen with the news.

Polar shook his head at the news. “It…it can’t be…they…they didn’t.”

Bulma looked up at the screen where it was talking about the assassination of the galactic prince. She heard a beep and looked back up at Vegeta’s wanted poster. The price had tripled from its old amount… the words wanted alive were gone…

Her eyes went back up the screen. They were showing off a message left by the killer.

 **“The end is now. The enemies of Lord Frieza beware…you’re next!”** It was even signed under it. **“The saiyan horde.”**

Screams were heard in the room as everyone just looked on in horror. What was going to become of their loved ones?

Bulma looked back at the wanted poster. She didn’t care what it said. She would bring back her husband alive. They wouldn’t kill him. Vegeta was too strong for that. She only hoped that her husband remembered his resolve, before it was too late.

To Be Continued…


	16. Chapter 16

It had been 3 more weeks. Goku was pacing as he tried to think of a way to find Goten, but was coming up with nothing. The boy’s Ki was too far away for him to track, and he still couldn’t get over the fact that the boy had to be mad at him. Did Goten want to go and see the frog? If he was wrong about his son now, then what else was he wrong about? The more he questioned, the more he realized that he didn’t really know that much about his son. It was almost as if Goten was just there.

He turned around, finding Trunks behind him. “When did you get here?” Goku asked.

Trunks shrugged. “I just needed some time to myself.”

Goku could understand. “You miss your dad?” He could tell that the boy was worried.

“I don’t know,” Trunks said. “I barely know the guy. Back when I was a kid, he was like my hero…but now, I don’t know what to think.” Now that he knew the truth about his father, he wasn’t sure he could look at him the same way.

“Vegeta did what he could,” Goku answered. “His life was never fair really, but if there was anything he cared about it would be your mother and you kids.”

“What do you mean?” Trunks didn’t understand. His father didn’t really talk with him after he stopped training and they really didn’t have any common ground. Hell, he used to think that his father had it so easy, but now Trunks felt like a jerk.

“The Vegeta I met all of those years ago was a selfish asshole,” Goku began. “He didn’t care much for anyone, claiming that he was the perfect warrior at every turn.” Goku moved to start up the ship’s gravity room. “But everything began to change after you were born. I think he had been alone for so long that he got used to shutting everyone out. He lost everything to Frieza. His family, his throne, his pride, and then suddenly, your mother gave it back to him. Sure, it took him years to admit it, but Bulma, Bra, and you were his life.”

“How do you know that?” Trunks asked, giving Goku a stunned look.

“Remember Majin Buu?” Trunks nodded at him. “Well, when your father was consumed by the Majin power, he did it to see what he would be like if he hadn’t grown soft. That man you saw that day at the tournament was a taste of what your father once was.” Trunks started to argue, but Goku stopped him. “We fought afterwards and your father made a choice, one that he told me to keep to myself, but I think you’re ready to hear it now.”

“What choice?” Trunks just wanted Goku to get to the point.

“When your father scarified himself to get rid of Buu, he was thinking of you and your mother. He wanted you to live on,” Goku stated, making Trunks’s mouth drop. “Now, that doesn’t sound like a merciless killer, does it?”

Trunks sighed. “So, Dad really just wanted to keep us safe.”

“He didn’t just train because I’m his rival and we’re saiyans. He trained so that he would never had to lose you the same way he lost his family back on Planet Vegeta,” Goku answered, smiling as he watched Trunks take it in. “He’s still the father you loved. Now you just know more about him.”

Trunks moved, walking over to the panels that controlled the gravity. “Can we do some training?”

“You’ve started to train again. Is there something you wish to protect?” Goku asked, knowing the answer.

“I want to find him, Goku.” Trunks turned on the gravity. “I want to bring him home.”

* * *

 

Goten sighed. Vegeta had a mission today, so he was kind of bored. Most of the horde was gone on missions, so it was just him, the lightweight, and the lughead.

Goten looked over at Negi and the older saiyan glared back at him. “Why do you hate me so much?” Goten asked.

Negi chuckled. “So, you care about what I think?” He elbowed Oniun, who was taking a nap against the table.

“No, I just want to understand your grudge. All I did was hurt your pride,” Goten growled.

Onuin glowered at the boy. “You’re a cocky one, you know that?”

“How am I cocky? I’m not bragging about anything. If anything, I think I just got lucky.” Goten leaned back in his chair, staring at the two of them. “Remember, I’ve had no training until now.”

“You’ve just used that to get close to the prince,” Negi snapped.

“Vegeta made a point to train me. I didn’t ask for it,” Goten said, then smirked. “Are you jealous of me?”

Negi’s eyes narrowed. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t said that, punk.” He pulled himself up and almost pounced on the boy, but Goten had also stood. Negi froze as he noticed the boy’s stance. It was the same as Vegeta’s. “He’s taught you everything, hasn’t he, Runt?”

“You know what, I think I’m going to go train.” Goten turned his back to them, preparing to leave.

“No matter how much you train, you’re still going to be useless on the battlefield if you can’t kill anyone,” Negi snapped.

Goten tensed up, then turned around. He hadn’t asked these two about it yet. “How do you kill people?”

“With a blast through the chest,” Onuin said dumbly.

“The boy is asking how can we kill people, Lughead.” Negi stopped what he was saying as soon as the nickname came out. When had he started using the Runt’s nicknames?

“Do you have an answer for me or not?” the half-blood asked. He could be doing some heavy-duty training right now.

Negi sighed. “You’re making the question too simple, Runt.” He watched as the half-saiyan walked back, then sat down. “We were trained to kill,” Negi answered. “It’s not just in our blood, but we were raised on it. Killing doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Just like any sin, it has its time and place.”

“But it’s your job…” Goten began.

“No, our job is to clear planets. If the fuckers don’t want to get off the planet, then they’ll die. Besides, its survival of the fittest out here. You either kill or be killed. Only the strong survive, while the weak perish. That’s just how life works,” Negi answered.

Goten nodded. “How do you push your emotions away?”

Negi chuckled. “Are you planning on killing someone, Runt?” His laughing stopped as he noticed the boy’s serious look. Finally, Negi gave him a grin. “You want to join us, don’t you, Runt?”

Onuin was also grinning at this. “You don’t think of yourself as human either,” the giant said.

Goten stared at both of them. “It’s crazy. One day, I’m sitting in a house next to a forest, thinking that I don’t have a future…the next, I’m here in space and I’ve been given an option.”

“You wanted to train as a boy?” Onuin asked. Neither of them paid that much attention to the boy after he showed up.

“More than anything,” Goten admitted. “I wanted to be a fighter like my father, but I just wasn’t good enough to be chosen by him.” It didn’t matter how much time passed here. The half-blood still wanted an answer from Kakarot… Goten froze in place. Did he even think of that man as his father anymore? As each day passed, the bonds with his family on Earth, as well as the ones with his friends were vanishing. In its place, new bonds were forming. It was almost as if there were two buildings inside of him. One made of wood, while the other was becoming a tower of iron. Below was the fire that was now raging inside of him. His anger, his jealousy, his sadness, his pain…his suffering… his wrath…his hate…they all lived down there, burning the buildings apart…

The wood was Earth, its existence and past only fed the growing flames inside of him, turning it into a raging inferno. While the one of iron was thriving, his bonds here were growing stronger under that heat. It was as if that building inside of him was being tempered into steel.

“My father picked another,” Goten answered. “Someone without saiyan blood.” He chuckled darkly. “Someone unworthy.”

Negi smirked at the twisted look on the runt’s face. Now he was starting to see what Vegeta was talking about. The boy had the instincts, he just needed to give in to his hatred. “Why don’t you just kill him?”

The half-blood grinned at the idea. “Wouldn’t it be more fun to let Kakarot burn first?” Goten answered. “If I let his apprentice live, then I can bask in the glory of watching him fail. Besides, once Son Goku sees me…he’ll still think I was that boy on Earth. That weakling that he judged as wasted space.”

Onuin felt his skin crawl. He knew what he was seeing. This was the boy’s inner turmoil. This is what lived inside of the half-blood. A creature of pure darkness was fighting to get out. It wanted to fight. It wanted to kill. “That doesn’t change the fact that Kakarot is your father.”

Goten turned to Onuin with a chuckle. “He’s no father of mine.” The half-blood’s eyes had changed. “He’s nothing.”

Negi was grinning. “So, what do you think of the horde?” He wanted to know where they stood with his monster.

The creature smirked at him. “I find you fit our needs better than those humans have.” The half-blood blinked and they could tell the saiyan was fading away. “Soon, I will cease to exist. The moment the boy lands his first kill with you, will be the day both of us will merge into one. After all of these years, his soul will finally be repaired.”

“What do you mean by first kill with us?” Onuin questioned.

The half-blood laughed. “I didn’t just appear out of hatred. Bloodlust is not born from nothing. There was a trigger, a massacre that side of me has no memory of. He may recover the pieces soon though.”

With that Goten began to cough, the boy cleared his throat as he shook his head. “Why are you guys looking at me like that?”

Negi smirked. “Come on, Runt, let’s go get some training in.”

“What?” Goten was confused. Negi and Onuin hated him. Why were they being nice?

“I need to get back to par and fighting with Onuin isn’t getting me that far.” Negi chuckled. “It’s time for a new challenge, Runt.”

Goten suddenly laughed. “So, the lightweight wants to dance then?”

Onuin stood up from the table to defend Negi, but the smaller man was laughing. “You know, Runt, you’re all right by me.” Negi looked back. “Come on, Lughead, we got work to do.”

Onuin watched the two walk off. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Negi, cause messing with that boy is like playing with fire.” He followed them downstairs into the training room, only to receive a beating from the two of them. Now he wasn’t sure if he liked this new-found friendship or not.

* * *

 

Vegeta smirked down at his latest kill. He turned to Turles a second later. “Do you think that they’re getting along?”

Turles chuckled as he twisted a man’s head. “Probably not. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to bond.”

“Goten will be in our horde. I will have my berserker, Turles,” Vegeta growled as he sent a blast through three people.

“And you will have it, Vegeta,” Turles answered. “The boy is close to merging, isn’t he?”

Vegeta smirked as he readied a false moon. “Once he kills, it will happen. Goten will not only join the horde, but the two sides of his personality will finally merge. He will be a complete warrior then.” He tossed up the moon, getting a good look at it. Turles was already changing.

Vegeta chuckled as he let the moon consume him. Nothing was going to stand in his way. Not Kami or Kakarot…not even Frieza. His apprentice would be one of them. He could almost taste it.

To Be Continued…

 


	17. Chapter 17

It had been a week since he trained with Negi and Onuin. Not much had changed. They were friendlier, but it was like the two were on guard for some reason. Goten didn’t mind though, he was going to train with Cilica today, then later Mata. He didn’t know what the former had in mind. All he knew is that Vegeta trusted her, so he needed to do the same. Most of the others feared her, so she had to be strong.

He went by her room, just to watch her coming out. She gave him a smile. “You’re always so early,” she giggled.

Goten turned red. “I’m not going to get stronger if I slack off.”

Cilica sighed. “I wish Negi and Onuin would get that. It’s strange. Back in the day, they were so strong, it makes me think that someone was messing with their machines.”

“Machines?” Goten asked, following her downstairs.

“We were kept in containment for the last thirty years,” Cilica said. “We still don’t know who took us out, but Frieza was kind enough to keep us on life support.”

Goten raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you don’t know anything from the last couple of decades?”

She nodded, but noticed that he was wary of telling her anything else. “Yes…why do you ask?” She had to know what was going on in his head. It could be useful.

“Why would Frieza keep you in tanks for 30 years? Isn’t that over doing it?” Goten asked, trying to keep her from being too suspicious.

She stopped walking. The boy had a point. “We’re trying to figure that out. Can you tell me about everything that has happened in the last 30 years?”

The half-blood sighed. “I would, but Earth is pretty primitive. We don’t get much news from out here.”

She gave him a sad smile. “So you’re just as lost as we are. This must be hard on you. Being away from home with strangers.”

Goten shook his head. “No, it’s not bad at all. I’m in better company, for the most part, and I do get to train.”

“Is Earth really that bad?” Cilica asked.

The half-blood walked into the mess hall. “There are just expectations that my mother has for me which I don’t have for myself.”

“Like what?” She couldn’t help but be curious. The thief knew that Goten hadn’t been able to train as much on Earth and his tail had been removed, but there had to be more brewing inside the boy’s mind.

Goten grabbed a tray. “My mother wanted me to go to school and be a scholar, like my brother.” He stared down at his food. “I was never asked if I wanted to be a fighter like my dad…I was told what I had to do.”

The female saiyan sat down. “So you don’t have the best opinion of either of your parents?”

Goten sat down. “My dad never stood up for me. He always gave into my mother. Except when it came to Gohan; my older brother got to train with my dad.”

“You think they love Gohan more than you?” she asked, but she could already see the answer on his face.

“How could they not? He met each and every one of their expectations.” The half-blood sighed. “Gohan was the valedictorian of his graduating class, he was the first one to get to the second level of super saiyan, he married the perfect wife… he was the child my parents wanted. I was an afterthought.”

“What do you mean?” the woman asked, grabbing her drink. This was all so interesting. It was no wonder that Vegeta had gotten so far with the boy.

“I wasn’t planned. I was born after my father was dead, putting my family into debt. Most of our money went to food and Gohan’s schooling. So when dad was brought back, I thought I would get some attention, but that wasn’t the case at all. I was made to study just as hard as Gohan after my brother moved out. My grades suffered, even while I was in college. Eventually, I just gave up and was kicked out of college,” Goten explained. “I was always a failure.”

“To them, you’re a failure.” The half-blood looked up her. “But here, you have become more, don’t you think?”

Goten took a deep breath. “I feel like I belong here. The friends I used to have back home didn’t understand me.”

“What about the horde?” She knew that Vegeta would be happy to hear her report later.

“It’s strange. I never thought that I could belong somewhere,” the half-blood said, taking a bite out of some kind of alien fruit. “But I feel at ease here.” The half-saiyan thought before speaking. “Cilica, how do you do it?” Goten asked.

“Do what?” the woman said, taking a drink.

“How do you kill people?” The half-blood had asked this question to most of the horde, he just wanted someone to explain it so that he could figure out his own path.

She giggled. “It’s not that hard. They just get in my way. I have a job to do.”

“Everyone says it’s their job, but do you really enjoy it?” Goten asked.

 She stood up and put her tray up. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it. It’s a part of who we are. We’re warriors. It’s our job to go out onto the battlefield. Saiyans were bred for such things.” She giggled as Mata walked in sighing, her eyes went to the other female. “Why are you so down?” She knew that Mata had been a little depressed as of late.

Mata turned red. “Nothing.”

Goten stared at her, he knew that it had to do with his Uncle. “Did my uncle do something?”

Mata turned redder. “No…he didn’t do anything.” She looked like she wanted to cry. “He doesn’t even talk to me anymore.”

Goten wondered what was going on. Turles clearly liked Mata, so why was he keeping his distance? As he continued to ponder this, an idea came to him. He could only hope that it worked… but he was going to have to wait till later tonight. That was if he could get Cilica and Raditz in on it…maybe even Vegeta would help him out with this.

* * *

 

Turles moved around his quarters and sighed. His armor was off and he could see the mark on his shoulder. Somewhere out there in space, he had a mate. His suspicions of Frieza where true; someone had messed with their memories. Not that he was going to say anything to the others.

He could be wrong. The mark could be from the same day as the event that caused the coma, so he really didn’t want to jump the gun until he knew everything. The last thing he wanted was to lose Vegeta’s trust.

Turles cursed the mark. If only it had been Mata, then he wouldn’t feel this horrible. It was hard to imagine him falling for someone else. It had to be a spur of the moment deal, but as he continued to stare at the mark, he knew that he couldn’t betray his mate, whoever she was.

He sighed. There was nothing he could do about this. He was just going to have to keep himself away from Mata. The idea was painful, but it was his only option left.

* * *

 

Goten smirked. His plan was already underway. Cilica and Raditz were all in for it, so they were already preparing everything. He just had to keep Mata busy, which wasn’t hard. He was supposed to have target practice with her anyway.

A couple of times she walked over to him and fixed the placement of his hands. “You have to slow down and figure out where the target is going to be.”

“How do I figure that out?” Goten asked.

“There are a lot of factors to it.” She moved forward and looked up. “In here it’s closed off, so it would probably be better for you to learn in the field.”

The half saiyan walked around. “Why is that?”

“Well, everything from the rotation of the planet to the softest breeze can affect your ability to hit a target.” Mata put her own hand up, closing her eyes as she did so. “You have to rely on more than your sight.” A target popped up and she hit it with ease. “Once you understand the rest of your senses, you cannot lose.” She walked over to a wall and pushed a button. The wall flipped over, exposing all kinds of the weaponry.

“Why would you need those?” Goten asked. He had seen Mata with blasters and guns before.

She giggled. “It matters on the target. Sometimes you want to leave evidence and be quiet. With a silencer, a gun can be quiet. But an energy blast can never be quiet and can give away your position to the enemy.” She picked up a scouter. “Everyone out here uses these and they pick up on shifts in energy, so, like Tarble, I use physical weaponry more often.”

Goten nodded. “That makes sense.” He pondered her words. “Is there a blindfold anywhere?” he asked. If he was going to do this properly, he might as well do what she was.

Mata smiled. “There’s one next to the A3-26.” The half-blood looked at her in confusion and she laughed. “That’s the big black one.” Again, Goten shrugged, so she walked to the far side of the wall. Taking a small box off of a shelf.

“You could have just said that it was on the shelf,” Goten growled.

She giggled. “But it’s more fun to watch you fail for a second.”

The half saiyan rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He took the blindfold and put it on. It blocked off everything, so he couldn’t see a thing, but he took a deep breath, he knew how to sense Ki, but that wasn’t going to be helpful here, so he pushed that down. He could hear her walking around the room and it made him jump a little. Each sound was coming in clear, but also sounded louder than before. There was a greasy smell that lingered in the air. It began to grow as he heard something pop up. Suddenly, he realized what he had been missing.

As the smell began to grow once more, he turned around. He was waiting for the target to pop down. He knew that there had to be a timing to it. The half saiyan slowed his breaths down even more. He had to be precise or he would fail.

The target popped up and he fired. “Well, I’ll be…” he heard Mata say.

He moved to remove his blindfold, to find a singed spot only inches away from the target. Goten walked over to it with a frown on his face, but stared in shock as he noticed that there was a small hole in the back of the wall. He didn’t think that he used that much power.

“That’s pretty good for your first try,” Mata said. “You’re a fast learner.”

“No, I’m not,” Goten started, thinking of his schooling.

“Boy, not very many people can get this lesson on the first try. It takes practice like any skill,” Mata said. “It took Turles 3 months to get it down,” she began, only to frown.

“You like my Uncle, don’t you?” he asked, making her turn red.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said backing up. Her face was bright red.

Goten only smiled. “Come on, Mata, it’s all over your face.”

She sighed. “You’re just too observant.”

“Not really,” Goten said. “Everyone knows.” He chuckled as she almost fell over. “It’s not like it’s a bad thing.”

Mata turned her back to him. “It doesn’t matter though. Turles doesn’t feel the same.” She felt like she wanted to cry again. “I thought he used to feel something for me, but as of late, he’s been keeping his distance.”

“What if he’s keeping his distance because he likes you?” Goten said, putting up the blindfold.

She let out a laugh. “That’s not like him. Turles isn’t that cowardly.”

Goten gave her a nod. “Yeah, but there has to be another reason.” He knew that his uncle had it bad for Mata. It didn’t take a scholar like Gohan to see it.

“We may never know.” She sighed. “I think we’ll end things off here.”

Goten nodded and made to leave with her, only for Cilica to come walk up to them. “Well, we have to wait for a tech,” the thief said.

“A tech?” Mata asked.

“The pipes are all messed up upstairs,” Cilica groaned. “So, it looks like if we want to shower, we’re going to have to use the one off of the gravity room.”

Mata frowned. “Dammit, I needed one too!”

“Why don’t you use it now then?” Goten said. “We can make sure that no one comes downstairs.”

She thought it over. “Can I get my stuff first?”

Cilica laughed. “I already brought it.” Mata gave her a look. “You always take a shower after training,” the thief said.

Mata finally smiled. “Are you going to go with me, Cil? Or are you going to wait till later?”

“I took one this morning before the pipes busted,” Cilica said. “Enjoy yourself.”

Mata gave them both a nod then walked off to the larger bathroom.

Cilica looked over at Goten. “That worked better than I thought it would.” She had to give it the boy. He could make a plan.

“Now, we just need to get my Uncle Turles down here,” Goten said with a smirk.

“Why do you need to get Turles down here?” Vegeta said from the shadows. He looked over the half-blood, he could see the sweat on him from his training.

“I was hoping to find you earlier. Where were you?” Goten asked.

Vegeta sighed. “Don’t worry about that, explain.” The half-blood smirked before he leaned forward and began to whisper his plan into the prince’s ear. Vegeta’s eyes went wide before he grinned. “I’ll see how this unfolds then.”

* * *

 

Turles sighed as he walked out of his room. For some reason, his shower was broken. The pipes must have been busted. He grabbed some of his clothes. Maybe Raditz’s was working.

He went into the hall, to find Raditz standing in the hall. His brother was looking at a small screen. “Hey, Raditz.” Raditz looked up from the screen and looked at his brother. “My shower’s busted, can I use yours?”

Raditz sighed. “I would let you, but mine is also busted.” He moved up the screen. “That’s why I’m looking over this plan. I’m trying to figure out where the leak is.”

Turles groaned. “I can fix it.” He moved to take the screen from his brother, but Raditz kept it to himself. “Did you find the source?”

“It looks like it’s in the gravity room downstairs.” Raditz turned off the screen. “There is a water shut off valve in the shower down there.”

“I’m aware,” Turles said. “It should only take me a couple of minutes.” He walked away from his brother, missing the smirk on Raditz’s face.

Turles passed his nephew in the hall. Goten was busy talking to Vegeta and Cilica. It looked like they were going over a new battle strategy. He headed downstairs, taking the elevator, so that he was placed right next to the gravity room.

Once he was downstairs, he walked through the gravity room. It didn’t look like there was a leak anywhere. That was until he looked over at the shower room. He could hear running water. A pipe must have burst.

Before he entered, he took off his armor and rolled down his jumpsuit. It was the best he could do. He didn’t want his clothes getting too wet. He walked in, noting how steamy the room was. How did the hot water get turned on?

Turles kept walking, he could hear the leak and walked closer, only to stop in his tracks. His eyes zoomed over the body in front of him. He had never seen skin this beautiful in his life. Her back was the only thing he could see, but as his eyes roamed, they landed on her ass. Across the left butt cheek, there was a bite mark. He moved his hand up to his mouth while the memory resurfaced. The two of them had just finished a mission. They were stuck on a planet until Frieza could send them a new ship. Under the half-moon, they gave into each other. She became his and he became hers.

Mata turned in the shower, her eyes went wide. Why was Turles here? She moved against the wall, trying to cover herself. “Turles? Why are you here?!” She was already mad at him. He didn’t need to be here. Her eyes fell on a bite mark on his shoulder. She growled. “So, who is she?” When had he taken a mate? Her heart felt like it was going to break into a million pieces. She had been so sure in his feelings.

Turles walked forward, letting his tail find hers under the water. “It’s you.”

Her eyes looked up at him in shock. “But…I don’t have a mark…AH.” He grabbed her ass, squeezing the mark.

“It’s there. I bit you there.” He felt so relieved. “You’re my mate.”

“Then why did you stay away?” She said, looking up at him. She was trembling. She stopped trying to cover herself.

He looked down at her with a smile. “I thought that I was betraying my mate by looking at you,” he said, moving down to kiss her. Her small hands moved up his chest as they kissed. Everything felt right with the world. He didn’t give a shit about anything else. All he wanted was his mate. Her hand slid against his mark, making him growl. “Mine.” He moved forward, devouring her lips as she squeaked. Nothing was going to take her from him again. He would make sure of it.

* * *

 

Outside of the bathroom, Goten chuckled. “I told you it would work,” he snarked as they heard the moans from inside.

Vegeta smirked at the half-saiyan. “So, what other plans do you have around here?”

“I haven’t really thought about it. That just came to me,” Goten said.

Cilica giggled. “It really did. He thought of it this morning.”

Vegeta motioned for them to follow. “Let’s give them their privacy.”

Goten nodded, following the prince and the thief onto the elevator. “Have you heard anything from Tarble?”

“He should be back any day,” Cilica said.

“Where do you think I was?” Vegeta chuckled. “I was talking over his mission with him.”

“How did it go?” Goten asked. He didn’t know why, but he wanted details. The smallest saiyan had been so confident about his mission.

“Everything went off without a hitch.” The prince smirked. “I knew it would. No matter how much time has passed, Tarble’s expertise doesn’t change.”

“Well, new weapons are developed, as are poisons,” Goten said. “Along with information on the targets.”

Vegeta grinned. “It looks like you’ve been studying.”

Goten blushed. “I figured that I should look up the person he was going after, that’s all.” The half-blood became serious. “I did have a question though.” The elevator door opened, just for them to come face to face with the assassin.

“What would that be?” Tarble asked with a grin. He had something to say to the half-blood as well.

“Oh, I was just wondering what the fallout would be from that?” Goten said. “It is the galactic prince…well, was.”

Tarble smirked up at Goten. “It will throw the galaxy into a state of panic. Panic makes people distrust each other, which breeds hate,” the assassin explained.

“And with them hating each other, it becomes easier to take them down,” Cilica said. “I can run in and steal their secrets or Turles can take advantage of the extra security to pass them.”

“How does it make it easier on Uncle Turles?” Goten asked, it sounded like it would become more difficult.

“They get so focused on false calls, that they don’t even notice what’s going on until it’s too late.” Vegeta smirked. “Especially if Raditz goes with him.”

“So, Uncle Raditz causes a distraction and more deaths, while Uncle Turles goes in for the goods?” Goten asked.

“Basically,” Tarble said. “But Turles can get in and out without Raditz. Being a master of disguise means that he can make himself look like anyone.”

Goten nodded. “They won’t expect someone on the inside to be betraying them.” A light bulb went off in his head. “Then afterward, he leaves them to take the blame.”

“Exactly,” Cilica.

“Interesting,” Goten pondered, crossing his arms. “That could be useful. Especially if we were all on one planet.” He stopped himself as he realized his line of thinking.

Vegeta smirked at him. “Go on.” Goten turned red. “Explain how we would work as a team.”

The half-blood groaned. “Just forget what I said.” He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

Tarble saw the boy’s face and grinned. “You know, it looked exactly like you thought it would.”

Goten cocked his head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

“A squid’s blood does squirt out like a hose.” Tarble laughed. “There was pink everywhere.”

Goten began to laugh. “Did it really? Haha.”

Vegeta walked up to his brother and grinned. With each passing second, the kid was becoming theirs. But as the half-blood fell the floor, the prince decided that it was time. The boy would join him on the battlefield. Besides, Frieza just called for them to take out a planet anyway. It was time to test his apprentice’s skills. Only then would Goten be ready to join the horde.

To Be Continued…


	18. Chapter 18

The following week hadn’t been any better at the Patrol. There was so much movement after the prince’s assassination, so no one could keep track of what Frieza and the horde had in mind.

Jaco walked by Bulma offering her a blanket. “This is the best we can really do right now.” He said. “There’s no way to track any of them.”

Trunks and Bra were still reeling from what their mother had told them about their father. Pan was sitting next to them. The youngest Son had no idea why her father and grandfather seemed peeved with her.

“We need to find out who’s plan it was to take out the prince.” Polar said.

“Why is that important?” Trunks asked. “It’s all Frieza.”

Polar shook his head. “No, Frieza can give out missions if he wants, but most of the plans are concocted by the leader.”

Bra looked down. “And Dad is the leader.” She knew better than to question it now. Her father’s bounty was the highest. Then there was the fact that Vegeta was a prince.

Pan gave her best friend a sad look. “It’s so hard to imagine Vegeta being the leader of such a thing.”

Bra glared at her. “And why is that?!” For some reason, she felt very defensive about her father.

Pan put her hands up defensively. “Considering what he did back home, it’s just surprising.” She really didn’t think that Bra would react like this.

“Don’t get too comfortable with him.” Polar said. “If what Cilica told me about Vegeta is correct, then he’s back to being the master manipulator that he once was.”

Trunks sat there trying to figure more of this out, when his phone began to ring. Why was his grandfather calling him now? And how was there even a signal? He opened his phone, only to get chewed out. “Grandpa, calm down. What’s going on?” He asked.

“Trunks, how long have you been stealing other people’s work?!” His grandpa snapped. This was unlike the man, he usually stayed calm.

“But Gramps, I didn’t do that!” Trunks answered in shock. How did his grandfather find out? He wasn’t really stealing it, he was borrowing it…well, yes, he was stealing it, but the information was public anyway.

“Then why does the most recent report have all of the sources attached to it?! None of that is your own work!” His grandfather continued.

Trunks’s eyes went wide. How did that end up on the reports? He had always been careful about things like that. The only person that knew was…Goten… He wouldn’t…Goten didn’t betray him…did he? “I swear, Grandpa, someone had to have hacked the computer or something.”

Bulma stared at her son, wondering what Trunks had done to piss off her father so much. “Trunks,” Her son looked at her with fear, allowing her see his guilt. “Tell me, what did you do?”

Trunks sighed. He was in for it now. “I…I was just having some issues with my reports…that’s all.”

“Trunks!” Bulma snapped. “Do not tell me that you took shortcuts.”

He looked away in shame. “I didn’t want to disappoint you…so I stole some information from a couple of our workers… and our competition.”

Bulma was about to go off, when she heard that last part. “How did you get anything out of our competitors?”

Trunks turned red. “Remember that date I went on with the heiress of RB Robotic?” His mother nodded. “I kind of used that to hack into their computer.” He answered, preparing himself for the fallout.

Bulma thought it over, then giggled. “Well, if that gives us a leg up on our competition, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Just make sure that the information that you steal isn’t patented.” Trunks let out a breath of relief. “But if you steal from our employees again, I will not hesitate to cut you off.” Her voice said vindictively.

“Yes, Mother, I’m sorry that I have shamed you.” He bowed in front of her, as chills went down his spine.

“Now let’s see if we can find your father.” Bulma said, sounding chipper.

Polar sighed. This was definitely Vegeta’s family…and he thought having Negi and Rouge around was bad.

Pan looked over at Bra with a smile. “Has anyone caught your eye yet?” She really wanted the heiress to find a boyfriend, that way they could go on double dates.

“No, if you can’t tell, I’m a little too busy for that.” Bra snapped. She could see the hurt in Pan’s eyes, but this was last thing she wanted to talk about right now.

“You won’t be seeing Uub anytime soon.” Goku said walking in with a growl.

Pan froze as she looked up at her grandfather. “But…Grandpa…why would you bring him up?”

Goku’s eyes narrowed. “I know everything Pan.” He watched her turn pale. “Let’s just say that your grandmother took care of him.”

“But, Grandpa, I love him!” Pan stood up, her eyes were filling with tears.

“You’re barely a teenager.” Goku snapped. “When I was your age, I didn’t even think of those things.”

Bulma wanted to laugh. Goku was probably the most innocent of them all, but she knew better than to come between him and his granddaughter. From the look on Goku’s face, he was not going to be swayed.

“What do you know?! You married Grandma after you fought in a tournament! Hell, you still don’t know who she is!” Pan snapped.

Goku growled. “I know Chichi better than anyone. You don’t know what you’re getting into with Uub!”

Pan turned red then looked away from him. “Yeah, right.” Her eyes were filled with tears as she ran off.

Goku stood his ground and didn’t even go after her. “She’ll see things my way, eventually.”

Trunks and Bra decided to go after Pan, leaving Bulma and Goku alone with Polar. “Don’t you think you’re being too harsh?” Bulma asked.

Goku shook his head. “Uub betrayed my trust. If they wanted to date, they could have told me. Gohan would have been okay with it as well.” His eyes glowed. “But the fact that they lied to us, followed by him deflowering her…I can’t forgive that.”

Bulma sighed. “You regret training him then?”

Goku snarled, then turned his back and left.

Polar turned back to his computer. “We need to get back to work. I know that drama is distracting, but I need to find my wife.”

Bulma nodded. “Yes, let’s get back to work.”

* * *

 

Pan was crying into her hands. She couldn’t believe this. How did they find out? Uub wasn’t going to spill the beans and she knew that she had been careful about everything.

Bra sat down next to her. “How did he find out?”

Pan shook her head. “I…sniff… I don’t know. The only people that know are you, Trunks, and Uncle Goten.”

Trunks growled. “It was probably Goten.” Both girls looked at him. “Goten was the only one that knew what I was doing with the company. After he got home, I bet that he started blabbing.” He was livid. How could Goten betray him like this?

“There’s only one problem with that.” Gohan said, walking out. He stared down at his daughter. “You realize that you’re not off the hook.” She glared up at him.

“Why is there a problem?” Trunks asked, not hiding his anger in his voice.

Gohan sighed. “My mother called out here, she hasn’t seen Goten. Apparently, he called her from somewhere in space.”

Trunks’s jaw dropped. “But I thought he went back to Earth.” This was so confusing. He thought that Goten really wanted to go on that date.

“That’s what I thought too.” Gohan looked off to the side with a dejected face. “But I was wrong. Dad thinks that he may have been kidnapped while we were on Vencarzu, but it’s hard to pinpoint where he could have been taken.”

“Then why did he give away our secrets?” Pan muttered under her breath.

Gohan glared down at his daughter. “I’m thinking that he was trying to give us a tracking signal to his location. We would go after him if we were angry.” Gohan sighed. “Of course, we would want to rip his head off, but it isn’t a bad plan.”

Trunks nodded. “I just didn’t think he would go that far. I trusted him with that.”

“Goten had to have had a reason. Wherever he is, I hope he’s safe. The universe is huge, the likelihood of us crossing paths again is slim…we don’t have an information to go on.” Gohan said looking away from the group. The fact that his little brother was lost to the world was getting to him. How could he think the worst of Goten, when he really didn’t give him a chance?

“We’ll find him.” Trunks said, but he couldn’t feel sad for Goten at all. The fact that his best friend had given away his secret, fractured their relationship.

Bra stood up. “Do you think he’s in danger?”

“I don’t know.” Gohan sighed. “That’s the hard part. We don’t know where he is and now there’s the danger of the horde. If he ends up on a planet meant for slaughter, he’ll be among the fallen.”

“If only I could have trained him.” Goku said, walking in. He could feel Pan glaring at him. “I wouldn’t be worried about any of this.”

“But Goten is lazy.” Trunks said, letting his anger out. “He doesn’t stick to anything for that long.”

Goku sighed. Trunks had a point. “I know that, but maybe it would have kept him with the ship.”

Trunks could see the panic in Goku’s eyes. Earth’s hero looked lost. He sighed. “Why don’t we just train for now then? It looks like it’s going to take them a while to find dad.” He pushed past everyone and headed into the gravity room. He didn’t want to feel sorry for Goten. His former best friend had brought all of this on himself.

Bra walked after him. “I know your angry at him, but just think about what you would do if you were in his situation.” She said. “I know it sucks that he gave away your secret, but you shouldn’t have been stealing that shit in the first place.”

Pan glared up at Bra. “Just shut up!”

Bra stared down at her friend. “Why?”

“He didn’t say anything about you. If he had given away one of your secrets, you wouldn’t be so calm!” Pan snapped.

Bra looked away from Pan, before leaving Pan and Trunks alone. She didn’t want to deal with them and their anger. She had better things to be doing.

Goku and Gohan watched Bra walk out of the ship. It looked like she was crying, but they didn’t stop her. She was headed towards her mother and Bulma could take care of it.

“Come on, Bra. Stop your…” Pan stopped walking when she noticed that Bra wasn’t on the ship. She turned red. Maybe she had pushed the heiress a little too far this time.

Goku stared at his granddaughter. “Let’s get some training in.”

“It will be good for everyone.” Gohan said, grabbing her arm.

“But dad…” She stopped as she looked up at the disappointed look on his face and froze.

“You won’t be seeing that boy again.” Gohan started. “If you think that you’re off the hook, then think again.”

“But dad, I love him.” Pan said once more.

Gohan laughed. “You know, this wouldn’t have been a problem if you had just said something, but the fact that you hid it means that you don’t trust me. So why should I trust a word you say?”

Pan looked down, letting herself be dragged into the gravity room. She thought that he wouldn’t understand…if only she had trusted him more. That wasn’t the only thing though. It looked like Bra didn’t want to talk to her…she may have just thrown her friendship down the drain forever.

* * *

 

Goten panted as he finished another round of training. Vegeta was standing over him with a smirk. “You’ve gotten faster and that aim has improved.”

“I’m just full of surprises, Old Man.” The half-blood quipped.

Vegeta frowned. “What was that?”

“Nothing, Prince Vegeta.” Goten said with a laugh.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. “You really want to try calling me that again, kid?”

“Then what do you want me to call you?” Goten joked. “You are an Old Man.”

“And you’re an annoying runt.” Vegeta growled.

Goten stood up with a smirk on his face. “See, everything works out.”

Vegeta’s frown became a grin. “You know, bullshitting with me could get you killed.”

Goten nodded. “Yes, I know. But I won’t get better without a challenge.”

Vegeta walked over to the panel and pulled out a couple of waters. He tossed one to the boy. He had been thinking it over for a while now. He had already slipped up in front of Cilica and Turles…He might as well make it official. “So, my apprentice wants a challenge?” The prince grinned.

Goten froze as he heard those words. “Apprentice…?”

“Yes, boy.” Vegeta turned red, not looking at the half-blood. “You have earned that title.”

Goten couldn’t stop himself as he began to talk. “Then that would make you my master.”

Vegeta smirked at that. “Yes, it would.” The prince walked over to the door. “So, about that challenge…”

“Yes?” Goten felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. The fact that Vegeta accepted him, filled him with joy. He would do whatever the man asked of him.

“It’s time for us to visit the battlefield.” Vegeta’s eyes were serious. “Let us see what you can do.”

“But I can’t kill anyone.” Goten answered.

Vegeta chuckled. “You still sound so sure of that.” Goten looked like he was going to argue, but the prince stopped him. “You aren’t that weak child from Earth anymore.” He turned his back to his apprentice. “Once you realize what you really are, no one will be able to stop you.”

“But…murder isn’t the answer.” The half-blood said weakly.

“Put your trust in me,” The prince began. “and you will finally know yourself.”

“I do trust you, Vegeta.” Goten said as the prince walked out. The half-blood looked down at his hands. “It’s me I don’t trust.”

To Be Continued…

 


	19. Chapter 19

Bra looked over a couple of plans with her mother. She had kept her distance from Pan since their fight. The night before Trunks had told her to talk to her best friend, but Bra refused. She had better things to be doing.

Bra put down the commlink in her hands and sighed. Her mother gave her a sad smile. “We’ll find him,” Bulma said.

Bra looked down. She wasn’t just worried about her father. Her mind flashed to Goten and her most guarded secret. Years ago, she walked in on him doing drugs. She was sure that Trunks knew nothing about Goten’s fall from grace. Hell, the rest of the Sons didn’t have a clue. She was the only one that had seen him in that state.

It took years of poking, but eventually, he was clean…but there was still this sadness in his eyes. While Goten was under the influence of those drugs, he let her in on all of his secrets. The fact that he felt inadequate to his brother, his jealously of Uub, and his love for fighting. She never said a word and in turn, he hid her secrets as well.

But now it looked like Goten was giving secrets away. Pan and Uub were revealed, her brother’s dishonesty had come to light…she wondered when he was going to target her.

“Bra? Are you okay?” Her mother asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

She put on a fake smile. “Yes…I’m fine.”

Bulma looked back at the small screen. “Maybe you should go take a break?”

“But what if you find anything?” Bra wanted to be there when they did. Part of this was her fault. She had to make it up to her father.

“Honey, until they make a move, we don’t have a place to start,” Bulma said.

“But Nappa knows where their base is…” Bra started.

Polar sighed. “It seems that they have moved it since then, so we are back to square one.”

“Why don’t you go mingle with the others? I bet that some of the other kids want to know what you do,” Bulma explained.

Bra stood up then nodded. As long as they weren’t asking for her to hang out with Pan and Trunks. She did need some time away from them. It would help clear her head.

As she left the room, she gave her mother one last smile. She wanted to make sure that she put on a happy face for her mother. She didn’t need to see how depressed she was.

Walking into the extra room, Bra could see that the patrol was busy with all of the children running around. There were a few teenagers, but most were either small children or adults.

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be in here.” The red girl from earlier gave her a smile. It looked like she was rounding up her siblings.

“How many siblings do you have?” From the look of it, all of the members of the horde had a lot of children. She had already heard that Nappa’s son had 50. The only ones that had less than 3 were her father and Cilica. She couldn’t help but wonder why. For Cilica and Polar, there had to be some issues with races mixing, and looking back at her parent’s past, it was no wonder why there were only two of them. She just didn’t understand why the others needed so many.

“Oh, I have five.” Civilla answered, she could read the look on Bra’s face. “My mother’s race has litters of 2-4. My parents ended up have 3 each time though.” She giggled. “My dad wasn’t expecting anything the second time though. I still remember the look on his face. He was happy with 3…it got pretty crazy when there was 6 of us.”

A short girl with silver hair walked forward. “Yes, Papa didn’t plan for 4.”

“Which one is your father?” Bra asked.

“Prince Tarble,” she giggled. “I don’t think he’s really out doing much. He’s probably coming up with a surprise for us. He does like to spoil me.”

“My dad spoils me, too,” Civilla said. “What about yours?” she asked Bra.

Bra was pale. “My father has…high expectations.”

“That sounds more like my mother,” another said, this one looking closer to a fish, the only thing that marked her as a saiyan was her black hair, eyes, and tail.

“That would be all of our mothers, Aura,” Civilla answered.

“Well, I am set to be a queen, as is Uva. Civilla is going to take over as the district boss for her mother.” Aura’s eyes moved over to Bra. “What planet do you have control of?”

Bra turned red. “I’m…I’m just an heiress to a robotics company.” She had always been so confident in herself before, but now being around all of these girls with more status than her was getting to her.

“Then why are you talking to us again?” Aura said with a giggle.

“Ignore that bitch.” Bra’s eyes looked over, finding the most normal looking girl of the bunch. She was older than the rest of them, but she looked the most human. She was about the same height as Bra. She had black hair and eyes, but her hair almost had the same fluff to it as Goku’s. She offered Bra her hand. “They call me Bercu.”

“Bra.” She couldn’t help but smile at the young woman. Bra looked around the room, fining only one that looked older than Bercu and one younger, both being girls.

“Both of my parents were in the horde,” Bercu said glaring at the others. “Unlike these rejects, I accept the truth.”

“Your parents were mercenary fools anyway,” Aura said, with an amused look on her face.

Bercu growled, only for Bra to step in. “How does that make them fools? They were working to take care of their family.”

Bercu calmed. “Don’t try to talk to them. They wouldn’t know what an honest day’s work is.”

“That’s not fair and you know it,” Civilla began only to be cut off.

Bercu rolled her eyes. “We may be cousins, but we couldn’t be further than that.”

Uva rolled her eyes as some of the younger kids cried. “We should get out of here for a while.”

Aura smiled at her. “Yes, I could use a trip to Bristam 7.” She looked back at Bra and Bercu. “The two of you should come, it will be good for your complexion.”

Bra let out a snarl, then stopped in place. She had never made that sound before. Bercu gave her a smile before whispering in her ear. “We can look for information there. The crowd around there talks.”

Bra gave her a nod. “Fine, I’ll go.” She could tell that Bercu was happy about that. She must have been happy to have someone normal to talk to.

“Yatta! Then let’s get out of here!” Uva said, taking a controller out of her pocket. “The liner should be good enough.”

Bra just stared at the group in confusion. What had she just gotten herself into?

* * *

 

Goten felt uneasy as he sat across from the rest of the horde. They were going to be landing on a planet soon, but he had no idea what he was going to do once they landed.

They were all looking at a hologram of a giant map while Vegeta was explaining the plan. “Turles will be going to this hub here. There’s a super computer that needs to be taken care of.”

“Don’t worry about that, Vegeta,” Turles said with a smirk. “It will be a piece of cake.”

Vegeta grinned. “I know that they have a couple of protection protocols.” His eyes went over to his brother and Mata. “Mata will station herself over this ridge here.” He pointed at the place on the map. “There’s a small base here. Cut down anyone wearing these markings.” A small image of the outfit appeared.

“Got it.” Mata smiled. “They won’t get past me.” She cocked the gun she had picked for this mission.

Vegeta looked at his brother. “As for you, Tarble, I need you to go to the state house here.” The building enlarged, giving them all a better view. “Take care of the dignitaries inside.”

“Roger.” Tarble smirked attaching a couple of blades to his belt.

“Now Raditz, I’ll need you to take care of all of the escape routes.” Vegeta said, looking at the bomber.

Raditz nodded. “I’ll have that taken care of in no time.”

Vegeta’s eyes went to Negi and Onuin. They looked stronger than they had. Their training was paying off. “The rest of us will be clearing the city.”

Negi and Onuin laughed as they looked over at Goten. “You think you can handle it, Runt?” Negi chuckled.

Goten glared back at the lightweight for his comment. He tried to retort, but Vegeta stepped in. “The boy will be with me.” The prince knew it was the best way for him to track his development. Vegeta could sense his apprentice’s uneasiness. This was going to be the fight that decided everything.

Cilica glared over at Negi. “I’ll keep my eyes on these two. You stay with the boy.”

Vegeta nodded. “Then the north is yours and the south will be ours. After any job is completed, go and help that group take care of that sector.”

Goten looked at the map and realized that everyone was in the North sector. Did this mean that Vegeta wanted him comfortable with this?

Everyone nodded and Vegeta smirked. He stood up and walked over to a window, looking down at the planet below them. Soon the boy would see everything. He was sure of it.

* * *

 

Pan dodged one of her father’s attacks. They were doing a quick sparring session. It was her and Trunks against her father and grandfather. It wasn’t a fair matchup at all, but it was part of their punishment. At least, that’s how Pan was taking it.

Something else was off. She hadn’t seen Bra in days. Her best friend was really keeping her distance. If only she hadn’t gotten in her face. Pan jumped back, landing an attack on her father, only for him to wheel around and grab her leg. She was distracted, so it was easy to see why he could get the advantage.

There was just something bothering her. Back when she said something about secrets, Pan realized something. She didn’t know any of Bra’s secrets…but from the look of it, Goten knew them. Why? Why did her best friend trust her uncle before her? It didn’t make any sense.

Goku chuckled. “I think that’s enough for today. I think that there should be something for us to eat inside.”

Gohan watched his daughter’s face, but decided to go with his father. “I am starving.” Whatever was bothering Pan could wait. She was probably still angry about being in hot water.

Trunks stayed behind, watching Pan’s face. “You’ve got something on your mind.”

“I…did Goten ever tell you any of his secrets?” Pan asked, looking at Trunks.

Trunks pondered that, then laughed. “Goten didn’t have any secrets. He was always an open book.”

She gave him a smile. “Yeah, he was always running around getting his dick wet. I wonder how many poor alien chicks he’s slept with.”

Trunks cringed. “I don’t want to even think about it.”

Pan sighed as she relaxed. Bra was probably like Goten, she just didn’t have any secrets to hide.

* * *

 

The group had separated on the planet’s surface and everyone went to do their jobs. Goten followed Vegeta, still unsure of what he needed to do.

Vegeta only gave him a grin. “Just fight. If you don’t want to kill them, then throw them at me.”

Goten took a deep breath. If that was the case, then he could do this.

He flew after Vegeta, not flinching as the first explosion rocked the city. Goten did look back though. He could see the smoke rising. Uncle Raditz had taken out one check point.

Soon, there were multiple explosions around them and Goten almost paused to think it over. How did Raditz get around so quickly?

“He learned the sewer system before we got here.” Vegeta answered his question before he could even ask it. “Then he set the bombs to a remote.”

Goten couldn’t help but smile at that. “One must have been ahead of the others then.”

“They were supposed to go off at the same time, but there must have been a technical issue,” Vegeta said, looking down into the streets. They were starting to fill up. He smirked at the half-blood. “It’s time.” He flew straight down into the fray, picking off one person after another.

Goten watched from the sky. He was shaking. How did Vegeta and the others expect him to do this? He couldn’t move. With each death, it felt like something was twisting inside of him. He kept his eyes on the prince, watching as blood splattered everywhere. He knew that he should have been disgusted, but all he could do was watch.

Vegeta whirled around each of the civilians. He knew that Goten was still up in the sky, looking down at him. He would give the boy time. The half-blood just needed to get comfortable with what he was seeing.

The prince smirked as he heard a movement to his side. There was a full squad of soldiers waiting for him with blasters. The street began to fill with blaster fire, all of which was aimed at him. The prince didn’t care. He was enjoying himself.

Vegeta flew straight into the source of the blasts without a thought. It wasn’t like they could do any real damage. Their aim was shitty to begin with.

Goten looked around, something felt off. He could feel a new Ki moving about. His eyes looked over the battlefield and he came across a man sitting on the top of a building. He had his gun ready. The half-blood realized what was going on as the man fired. He heard the prince growl from below. Vegeta was bleeding from his chest.

Goten’s eyes went wide as he looked back at the sniper. The man was preparing another shot. There was a grin on his face.

The half-blood’s body began to shake, but unlike before, this was different. This wasn’t fear, this wasn’t sadness, this wasn’t pity…this was him. Goten rushed forward, letting his emotions take the wheel. The sniper backed away from his gun as he landed. The man pulled out a knife, but all Goten saw was red. He could have just blasted the man, but that wasn’t going to be good enough. He needed to watch the man writhe in pain.

Vegeta looked down at his wound. He was surprised that someone had even gotten that far. He froze as he heard a thundering roar behind him. His eyes scoured the ground, but he found nothing. It was time to take this to the sky. As he flew up, he found what he was looking for.

Goten had grabbed the arm that was attached to the knife and had ripped it off. The man had begun to scream as he was gutted by the half-blood’s bare hands.

“Vegeta, we got the rest of the…” Tarble stopped talking as he looked down at the fight. They had cleared their side of the city and had come to help them.

The half-blood relaxed, feeling a warm feeling inside of him. Everything that had been foggy, was now clear. The two sides that had existed with him for years collided. For the first time in over a decade, Goten felt at like he was complete. Goten looked down at the man’s corpse, but didn’t have time to relax as more soldiers came after him. He could hear their blasters preparing to fire, but he could only stare down at the broken corpse in front of him. Finally, everything began to fall into place. This was who he was. He wasn’t some human. He was a saiyan warrior…one of the last of his kind. Slowly, he began to laugh, getting louder as he heard a couple of the soldier’s shake. He turned to face them slowly. The rage inside of him was still building. “You really think those are going to do anything?” he chuckled.

A couple of shots were fired, some of them hit him, but they bounced off of his skin. Goten just continued to laugh as he took a step forward. The soldiers began to panic and some began to run off. But he wasn’t going to allow that. He was the predator here, these were his prey. Their deaths would sustain him.

Goten moved his hands up, hitting the runaways with carefully placed blasts through the skull. He looked back to the rest of the soldiers. “Now…Where were we?”

The soldiers stared at him in horror. “Thee Devil…”

Goten began to cackle. “Kind of bland, but if you insist.” His body sprang forward as he pulled the man into a headlock, squeezing it until the head burst open, then off.

Each soldier tried to run, only to end up in the gauntlets of death. Goten looked around him at all of the corpses, but it still didn’t feel like it was enough.

He flew up noticing the entire horde was around him. His eyes looked over at Vegeta. The prince looked proud. “How do you feel?”

Goten looked down, he could see more of the ants running around. “They just keep coming, don’t they?”

Vegeta moved over to Goten, moving his hands around. “Try using this.”

Goten nodded as he began to charge up his attack. He would do this justice. He would bring an end to these worthless maggots. “GALIC GUN!”

The blast fired, before engulfing the planet. Goten watched as the light took out each and every life. He could feel each Ki disappearing.

As the blast lifted, they horde landed. Goten followed, looking at the damage he caused. His jumpsuit was covered in blood, but that was the least of his worries. The half-blood looked to his master. “I’m sorry I didn’t get in there fast enough.”

Vegeta wondered what the boy was talking about. “What are you talking about?”

“The sniper. You got hit,” Goten growled.

Vegeta looked down at the small whole in his armor then smirked. “It only dinted my armor.”

“But you were bleeding,” Goten argued.

“That was from some soldier,” Vegeta explained. “I will say that you’ve definitely proved your worth.”

Goten looked around him, the rest of the horde looked in agreement, even Negi and Onuin. “You did really good, Runt,” Negi said looking off to the side.

“Good? He did great!” Raditz said, clapping Goten on the back.

“He’s a chip off the old block.” Turles said, putting his hand on the half-blood’s shoulder.

Goten blushed as the praise continued. He wasn’t used to getting this much attention. “Wouldn’t that make me like my dad?”

“Nope, everything just skipped him, Young Gun,” Raditz said. “You’re the real deal.”

Vegeta smirked as Cilica walked up to Goten, ruffling the boy’s hair. “We do need to get you something better than that jumpsuit.”

“Yeah, he’s going to need his own armor, too,” Mata agreed.

“It needs to be able to take hits,” Tarble said, thinking it over.

“Why is that?” Goten asked and they all laughed.

Vegeta walked forward. “You still don’t know what you are?”

Goten’s eyes narrowed. “I’m a saiyan.”

Vegeta grinned. “I was talking about your class, but that’s a good answer.”

“My class?” Goten questioned.

The prince nodded. “The title of berserker fits you, does it not?”

Goten’s mind had calmed from earlier, so now he could see things clearly once more. He knew what a berserker was. He usually used that class when he was playing video games back on Earth. To think that was what he really was.

The half-blood fell to his knees, everyone looked at him in confusion as he bowed his head. “If that is your will, Vegeta, then that’s what I’ll be.” He looked up to find the prince grinning. “I am your berserker.”

“I think it’s time we went out to celebrate,” Mata said.

“We can go out to Bristam 7!” Negi said in excitement.

“The boy doesn’t want to go see a stripper!” Cilica snapped.

Goten turned red. “I’ve seen that before though.” All of them looked at him, telling him that they thought he was completely innocent. “I said I was a virgin, not that I was sheltered.”

Negi came over and put his arm around Goten’s back as he stood up. “See, Runt, I knew you were good for something.”

Goten stared at the man before laughing. “Now all we need is for you to get better, Lightweight.”

Vegeta smirked. Everything had gone as he planned. His horde was now complete.

To Be Continued….

 


	20. Chapter 20

Bra looked around the resort. It wasn’t that far from the patrol…well if you used the hyperdrive. She really couldn’t believe that she had left the patrol to come out here with these girls. She didn’t pack a swimsuit, but one of the others gave her one.

As she looked down at herself though, she couldn’t help but feel subconscious, so she ended up putting her clothes back on. She didn’t see a point of showing off everything she had here.

Bercu giggled. “You really are a modest one.”

Bra turned red. “It wouldn’t be so bad, but I saw all of those old men out there. I really don’t like them looking at me.”

Bercu gave her a smile. “I can’t fault you for that.”

Aura rolled her eyes. “Who cares? It’s not like they can touch you like that.”

“Yeah. You’re just a chicken,” Uva said.

“We have bodyguards, too,” Civilla pointed out.

Bra shook her head. “That doesn’t matter.”

“But we always get bonuses for going as a group,” Uva said. “If you cover up, we won’t be allowed in some of the bonus areas.”

Bra sighed. “Why don’t you guys go to the spa without me?” She kind of wanted a quiet place to think.

Bercu gave her a smile. “I’ll go with you. I could use a walk.”

Bra nodded while the rest of the girls rolled their eyes. “We will meet up with you at three then?” The clock already said that it was one.

“Whatever,” Aura said turning her back on Bra and Bercu. The other three followed her.

Bercu giggled. “I think that Aura doesn’t like you.”

“Why would I care about that?” Bra asked. “She thinks her shit doesn’t stink. Someone needs to knock her down a couple of pegs.”

“Are you going to do that?” Bercu asked. “I would like to see it.”

Bra giggled as she walked with the pure saiyan. “I am an heiress. I do know how to talk back to her type, I just don’t see her as a threat.”

Bercu laughed. “Yeah, she’s all bark and no bite. Civilla can fight, but Uva and Aura have no experience with fighting.”

Bra turned red. “I don’t have room to talk there. I have had some training, mostly for self-defense.” She looked at the pure blood. “I have started to pick it up again though.”

“It’s not bad to have some fighting skills,” Bercu replied. “It’s a large part of who we are as a race.” She half smiled. “At least, that’s what my dad used to say.”

Bra giggled. “Yeah, my dad was all about training.” She frowned. “I wish I could have been a better daughter for him.”

“I doubt that he hates you. The horde may have had their memories erased, but as you can see with those three, most of them spoiled their children,” Bercu explained. “They wanted to give their children the life they didn’t have.”

Bra looked up at the sky. Was that why her father said nothing about her and Trunks stopping their training? A smile came to her lips as she thought about the past. She really had taken everything for granted. “I miss him.”

“I miss both of my parents, but they’ll make it through this,” Bercu said.

Bra smiled at the pure saiyan. “My dad will too. He’s stronger than I thought.”

* * *

 

Negi growled as he looked at the planet around them. They had just landed on the slum, but it looked nothing like what they remembered. Now it looked so fancy. “What the hell happened?”

Mata giggled. “It looks like we can enjoy a day at the spa then!” she said, going to grab Cilica’s arm.

“Like we can really walk into a place like this,” Tarble said. “Our faces are going to be plastered everywhere.”

Mata’s smile fell as Turles put an arm around her. “Hey, hey, hands off!” Negi shouted.

Everyone rolled their eyes. “They’re mated, Negi. There really isn’t anything you can do about it,” Raditz said, smirking at his brother.

Turles turned red. He didn’t think everyone would be so supportive of him being with Mata. Was this how it was before the coma?

Negi grumbled and walked up to some lady that was standing there on the corner of the street. It had been far too long since he had gotten laid and dammit, he was horny. This one had to be some high-class escort or something. The slum couldn’t have changed that much in 30 years. “How much?”

The woman glared at him. “Excuse me?” She looked up and down him with a sneer.

Goten face-palmed. “Negi, I don’t think…”

“Shut up, Runt, adults are talking,” Negi snapped, focusing on the woman. “So, do you take cash or what?”

The woman growled before slapping him in the face. The horde began to laugh as the woman stormed off. “I tried to tell you.” Goten started. “This place probably isn’t the same as you remember it.”

Negi growled, he looked like he was going to fire off an attack, but someone grabbed his hand. The sweeper turned to glare at the person holding him back, but stopped as his eyes locked with Vegeta’s. “We’re here to have fun, Negi. I would advise you to think with the head on your neck instead of the one in your spandex.”

“Yes, Prince Vegeta…” Negi looked away from the prince in shame. The last thing he wanted to do was go against the prince.

Goten walked up to the woman, then he noticed that something was off. Something about her Ki was off. “You wouldn’t want to go sleep with her anyway.”

Negi looked up at the half-blood. “Why?”

“Something’s off with her,” Goten said. “Her Ki is off.”

“Ki?” Cilica didn’t know why, but she knew that she had heard that term somewhere.

“It’s hard to explain. I think it has to do with the lifeforce of living things,” Goten explained.

Vegeta’s eyes went wide. “And you can sense such things?”

Goten nodded. “It was one the few things I learned from my brother.”

Raditz laughed. “Does that mean that you were feeling each and every one of those deaths earlier?”

Goten nodded. “It’s a pretty good feeling. Knowing that your enemy is dead the moment you hit them.”

Vegeta pondered that thought. “When we return, you will show me this Ki.”

Goten wanted to laugh, but kept a straight face. “Most of you already use it though.” They stared at him in confusion, so Goten thought that he should demonstrate. He pulled a ball of energy out, holding it in his hand. “Energy blasts are made of Ki. Why do you think it takes your own power to use them?”

Vegeta smirked. “Interesting.” A woman walked by and stared at the energy blast in fear, she pushed her child out of the way. “Put that away, Kid.”

Goten did what he was asked on command. “Yes, Vegeta.”

The group began to walk while keeping an eye on the resort around them. All but Goten had a bounty on their head, and they weren’t looking for a fight right now.

They walked into a building and walked up to the bar. Goten watched as Negi and Onuin ordered themselves drinks. The two downed them in one go, while Raditz got something.

Vegeta sat down, noticing a strange drink on the menu. He knew what SLD did. In his youth, he would have been open to ordering himself some of that drug, but he needed a clear head. He watched Goten sit next to him. The boy didn’t order any alcohol like the others. Instead Goten had some fruit juice. “I see that you’re on edge.”

Goten shook his head. “I don’t drink.”

Vegeta chuckled. “But you said something about drugs.” He wondered what the boy would think of SLD, but Goten shook his head.

“I’m clean of that stuff.” Goten took a sip. “Someone helped me get clean. Besides, I’ve used that stuff to run away from my problems for too long.”

Cilica and Mata sat down. Each with some fancy drink. “Was that person a she?” Mata asked. She just wanted her nephew to crack.

Goten turned red. “Why…Why does that matter?”

“It totally is!” Cilica teased.

The half-blood looked away. “I don’t see why it matters.”

Vegeta chuckled. “She must be something for you to be avoiding the subject.”

Goten turned red. He doubted that Vegeta wanted to hear about how his daughter had pulled him away from that life. Hell, if it wasn’t for Bra, he would probably be dead. “Yeah, she’s something alright.” He didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Bra anyway…she was like a sister to him.

“Finally!” Mata said excitedly. “So how did you meet?”

“Come on, Mata, I doubt that he wants to talk about it,” Turles said, earning him a nod from his nephew.

Just as Goten took a drink, he heard a group walk in. “I told you that we would get in without those two, Uva.” Some fish-looking girl said with a grin.

The three girls laughed, but that wasn’t what had the saiyans’ attention. All of the girls had saiyan tails. Raditz looked at his nephew and Goten shrugged.

Negi, who already had too much, began towards their table. He leaned against it with a chuckle. One of the girls looked up at him with a smile. “DADDY!”

Turles was taken aback…daddy? He thought back to his bite mark. What if they didn’t miss out on those 30 years?

The other two girls turned and looked up at Negi with warm smiles, then over to the table. “There you are, Daddy!” Aura said. “Were you planning a surprise for me?” she said, trying to stand up.

Negi pushed her down with a smirk. This could be fun. “I’ll be your daddy.”

Civilla growled then stood up, smacking Negi across the face. “How dare you! What are you a pig?!”

Negi snarled, but to his side he heard a small click. One of the bodyguards had a gun to his head.

Civilla’s eyes went wide. “Please…don’t…” She didn’t have time to finish her sentence though as her father laughed. Faster than she thought possible, her father elbowed the bodyguard in the chest, forcing the man to hunch over. Negi’s other elbow came down, forcing the bodyguard to the ground, before he stomped on the man’s head, splattering blood on the girls and floor. She couldn’t believe it. This…this wasn’t her father, was it?

“Nice one, Negi.” The girls looked over finding a man they had never seen before. He was shorter than Negi, with his hair sticking up like Tarble’s.

“I could go for another one, Prince Vegeta,” Negi smirked. Finally, he had gained some praise from the prince.

“Prince?” Aura said standing up. “You’re no prince!”

The horde growled, but Vegeta only chuckled. “So, the guppy has some bite.”

Now many of the tourists had run out in terror. They knew that they needed to get out of there.

Aura stood up, backing away from the prince in fear. She thought that this guy would back down. Everyone backed down to her, so why didn’t it work this time?

The doors flew open and in came more bodyguards. “It looks like we’ve got some company,” Tarble said, jumping onto the table. “Let’s leave the guppies, these guys look like they’ll be fun.”

Vegeta turned his eyes away from Aura. “You’ve gotten lucky this time, Guppy.” The saiyan prince fired a blast up into the ceiling, sending debris flying. Outside, he could hear the screams of the fallen. He chuckled. “Music to my ears.”

Aura looked down, but seconds later was pulled out of the way as something dove towards her. She looked up, finding her father standing there. She was going to smile at him, but he only glared at her. “The battlefield is no place for the weak,” Onuin said flying off.

Civilla ran forward, tripping on some debris. As she tried to pull herself up, she heard a blaster going off. She waited to get hit from the shot, but froze when nothing happened. She looked up, finding her father standing over her. “Get out of here, bitch.” She pulled herself up, grabbing ahold of Uva and Aura’s hands. She pulled them out of the room, but didn’t stop.

The grounds were filled with panic as people began to scatter in fear. An alert was playing over the loudspeakers. Telling people to evacuate the planet.

Bercu was running towards them with Bra. “What the hell is going on?!” she asked.

Bra was about to ask, when another alert went up. **“The Saiyan Horde is here! This is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill!”**

The girls began to run towards their ship. Bra and Bercu knew better than to go after the horde. If the other three were spooked, then there was no point in trying to speak with them.

“Saiyans!” A random alien shouted at them as some of the planet’s soldiers came out.

Bra could see that they were planning to fire their guns at them. Bercu looked as if she was going to step forward, but Bra stopped her. “We can’t take out that much fire power on our own. We have to retreat.”

“You’re not going anywhere, girly,” one of the soldier’s chuckled. He had grabbed onto Bra’s arm. She turned around, giving him a punch in the nose.

“Who are you calling girly!” Bra snapped as the guns prepared to fire.

“Bra, get out of there!” Civilla called out to her as the fire storm started.

Bra closed her eyes preparing to be hit, but opened them seconds later. She could hear the gun fire and the panicked screams around her, but she felt nothing. Her eyes looked up, finding someone standing between her and the gun fire. The blasts were popping off of his body, but she only heard him laugh. She felt a chill go down her spine, but it wasn’t from fear. This was a new emotion.

The man in front of her sent a Ki blast forward, killing off all of the soldiers in one go. He turned around and Bra looked up. He didn’t look like anyone she knew, but at the same time, those darkened eyes looked familiar. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up at him. She was starting to understand her mother.

“Get out of here.” His voice sounded a little concerned for her, but at the same time it sounded like a deeper, more serious voice of someone she knew…she just couldn’t picture it. “I said leave!”

Bra backed up, then ran off with the rest of the girls. They barely made it onto the ship, messing with the controls as quickly as they could. Seconds later they were bolting back into space.

Aura looked down at herself. She turned red. She had wet herself in fear. The one known as Vegeta had terrified her. Her eyes went to Bra; that was the girl’s father. It was no wonder that Bra was on edge.

Uva sighed as she stood up. “So, Polar was right.” She wanted to cry. Watching her father murder people wasn’t what she was expecting.

Civilla smiled. “I bet my mom is going flip when I tell her.”

Bra was still trying to collect her thoughts. Just who was that young man?

“Speaking of flipping, did you see that hunk back there?!” Aura squealed.

“I know!” Uva said. “He was so heroic, but at the same time…I felt like I was going to explode just looking at him.”

Bra smiled at the others. “I just want to know who he is.” She turned red. She didn’t want to say it out loud, but she found herself thinking fondly of their savior.

Bercu giggled. “Is that all you want to know, Bra?” She could see through Bra’s indifference.

“And you don’t think he’s hot, Bercu?” Civilla asked, giving the pure saiyan a doubtful look.

“He’s attractive, but I don’t think he’s my type,” Bercu answered. Her mother had explained smells to her once. That young man’s smell was familiar. Her father had two brothers. Maybe he was Raditz’s son?

Aura smirked. “He would make a good king for me,” she said with certainty.

“What about me?” Uva said.

“With a background like that, he’s going to marry me,” Civilla began.

Bra giggled. She didn’t know why, but when she looked up into those eyes, they had felt like they were looking at her and her alone. She wouldn’t argue with anyone though. It was enough to know that her father was safe. At least, that’s what she told herself.

* * *

 

Goten chuckled with the rest of the group. The planet was almost completely cleared. At first, he was a little confused at seeing Bra earlier, but once she was off the planet, he let loose.

Vegeta looked at his horde. “I guess that’s one way to have some fun.”

“We were supposed to be relaxing!” Mata cried.

“We can go someplace on the way back,” Turles said, looking over a computer. “The Lucky Lady is still open on Harcor 4.”

Mata glared up at him. “A strip joint!”

“What? Negi looks like he needs one,” Turles said.

Goten and the others walked into the ship. “I think I could use a drink after that,” Goten chuckled.

Vegeta laughed. “As do I.” As the ship flew up, the prince moved over to the window. “Who wants the honors?”

Goten looked over at Negi. “Well, it was the Lightweight’s fight.”

Negi laughed. “Have you ever seen a planet blow up, Runt?”

Goten shook his head. “No, but since you’re so good at it, why don’t you show off?” he teased.

The rest of the ship laughed as the blast was sent out, making the planet burst into thousands, if not millions of pieces.

Vegeta chuckled. “Then it’s off to Harcor 4, then?” The rest of the group nodded as he smirked. “I don’t want another bar fight…if we can manage.”

The horde laughed as the ship went into hyperdrive, speeding towards its next location.

To Be Continued…


	21. Chapter 21

Bulma was staring up at a screen. The news had her completely worried. Bra had gone to the planet that had just been destroyed. The other mothers were pacing in the hallway as they waited for the news. Bulma just hoped that Bra had gotten out of there in time. She already knew that the horde had to be responsible. There were plenty of survivors that could testify to that.

“My Aura doesn’t know how to fight!” Aquaria paced in alarm.

“They should be fine, Civilla is with them,” Rouge said, but she didn’t look confident either.

Polar rolled his eyes. “Bercu’s the one I would trust in that group.” His comment only gained him glares from the women.

Gohan and Goku were staring up at the news as well. They had just finished training with Trunks and Pan. Pan was a wreck because of what happened between her and Bra, while Trunks was trying to stay calm.

Goku had his arms crossed. There were people reporting the horde, but there was something off. He just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Gohan looked at his father. “What’s wrong?”

“I keep wondering if Goten’s been on one of those planets,” Goku sighed. He would do anything to get Goten back with them.

“He’s alive, Dad. We just have to believe in him,” Gohan started, but as he said it…he really couldn’t believe it. It was hard to believe in his brother. Goten got distracted easily and sometimes, he could have sworn that Goten was off in his own little world. Hell, he was incoherent sometimes or he would say strange things. Gohan sighed. Goten just had odd ways of trying to get everyone’s attention. His brother wanted to get them all riled up. He was sure of it.

Gure ran in. “Their ship is coming in. Bercu told me that they are unharmed.” The small woman began to lead them to the hanger just as the ship was coming in.

The ramp came down and all of the girls began to exit. “Mom! I have to tell you something!” Civilla said running past the others. She looked very excited.

Rouge ran to her daughter, pulling her into a hug. “What the hell happened?!”

Civilla giggled. “We ran into the horde…it’s just as Polar said. Dad is a killer.”

Rouge blinked at her daughter. “What do you mean?” She couldn’t believe it. Was Kasi really this Negi?

Aura came down off of the ship, greeting her mother. She had been able to get a change of clothes. “Father protected me…even though he didn’t remember me.” Aquaria shook her head. “Mom, he killed someone that tried to kill me.”

Bulma looked around at the girls, only to hear a giggle as Bra came out with a girl that she had never seen before. “Bra, are you okay?”

Bra nodded. “Bercu made sure that we all got back.”

Bulma breathed a sigh of relief before thanking Bercu for her help. She noticed how much the girl looked like a female Goku. “Are you Turles’s daughter?” she asked.

Bercu nodded, getting Goku and Gohan’s attention. “I’m the middle daughter.”

Across the room, Civilla was explaining everything to her mother. “You should have seen it, Mom. He bashed a man’s head open with ease. He looked like he was enjoying himself.”

Rouge was trying to picture it. Her daughter wouldn’t lie about this. Kasi was Negi. It was time for her to accept it. She shook at the thought. Her mind was coming up with a very elaborate fantasy of her husband. In her dazed state, she looked over at Polar. “I’m going to need a copy of his wanted poster.”

Polar raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do you want that?” It must have finally registered with the woman.

“Rouge-chan! Put that away!” Amber snapped, staring at her sister’s tail. “What kind of woman are you?!”

Rouge glared at her sister. “You stay out of this! If I want my Negi’s picture, that’s my business!”

Bra was still talking with her mother, when Pan came over and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have said that,” Pan cried.

Uva had walked to her mother. “We’re all okay mom.” She said with a smile. “Hell, we would probably be dead if it wasn’t for…him.” Her voice had become all dreamy.

“Him?” Gure asked as the rest of the groups went quiet.

“Yes, we were saved by the hottest hunk I have ever seen!” Aura said.

“He took all of the gun fire for Bra and didn’t even flinch,” Civilla swooned. “Now that’s a man.”

Polar pondered what they were saying. “Was he working against the horde or with them?”

Bercu was the first to answer. “I think he was with them. He was wearing a similar jumpsuit.”

Polar sighed. “I’ll need a description.” This was bad. Cilica had told him what Vegeta had always wanted in their group. Had Vegeta found his berserker?

“He was built,” Civilla started.

“Built isn’t the right word,” Uva gushed.

“Don’t forget his ass,” Aura giggled. “I could look at that all day. Don’t you agree, Bra?” She knew that Bra had gotten the closest look.

Bra turned red. “I didn’t notice.” The other girls sighed in annoyance. Bulma wondered what was wrong. Bra looked very embarrassed. “I was too busy staring at his eyes.” She turned redder. “He looked pissed off, almost as if he was trying to control his anger, but at the same time, there was a monster underneath, waiting to come out.” Her heart beat faster.

Bulma giggled. She knew that look. She had seen it plenty of times in her life. In the beginning, Vegeta gave her that look all of the time. “So, what do you think of this monster?”

Bra was bright red. “He’s not a monster!”

Trunks stared at his sister. He knew that look. His sister had a thing for this guy. “He sounds like trouble.”

“He saved my life!” Bra said getting in her brother’s face. “Even if he is with the horde, he can’t be all bad!”

Bulma giggled. “That’s my girl.” Bra and Trunks looked over at their mother with questioning looks, but she wasn’t going to answer them. It just seemed that Bra was her daughter at heart. There was no way that Bra wasn’t attracted to bad boys like she was.

Polar rolled his eyes. At least he got something better out of Bra, but that wouldn’t be enough. He turned to ask Bercu, but the girl shook her head. “It was a warzone. I didn’t get a good look at him. I do think he’s saiyan though or at least a part saiyan.”

Polar nodded. “We’ll have to continue our investigation then.” He looked over at Rouge. “If you follow me, I’ll print that for you.”

Rouge followed without hesitation. She had big plans for that photo when she got back to her room.

Goku looked at Gohan. “I wonder who this guy is? He has to be strong if he’s with the horde.”

Gohan laughed. “I’m sure we’ll come across him sooner or later.”

* * *

 

Goten didn’t know how he traveled without a hyperdrive in the past. It took them no time to get to the new planet. The moment they landed, he could see the clear difference between the last planet and this one. The resort had been bright, this slum was dingy. 

“There it is!” Negi practically ran in, but he wasn’t the only one. Onuin and Raditz followed.

Vegeta sighed, shaking his head. “Turles, don’t let me forget to order the scraper for them when we get back.”

“The scraper?” Goten asked.

Mata gagged. “Those three have had so many diseases…so they have to go and be scraped all of the time.”

Goten took her expression as a warning. This scraper didn’t sound like a fun experience. “Raditz is the only one that seems to enjoy the scraper,” Turles said with a laugh. “But we already know that he’s insane.”

Goten laughed. “I think I’ll stick with a drink.”

“Smart boy,” Tarble said with a grin.

The rest of them walked into the bar. There were quite a few strippers dancing on poles. Goten could already see Raditz paying off a woman, then disappearing into a different room. Negi and Onuin were working on it.

Vegeta sat down and Goten sat next to him while Turles got them something to drink. The women and Tarble also sat near them. “There’s something bothering me,” Cilica said.

“What is that?” Tarble asked, but he already knew what she was going to bring up.

“Those girls, they had saiyan tails,” Cilica stated. “I wonder where they got them.”

“I want to know why they were calling Negi and Onuin, Daddy,” Mata said as Turles came back.

“Well, with how often those two sleep around…” Turles started.

“No, those girls were too young,” Vegeta said. “They were teenagers.”

Goten thought about Bra. Why was she out there? It made no sense for her to be there and from the look of it, she didn’t recognize him. The way she looked up at him though was like a person that had just met their savior. She wasn’t afraid of his anger, but she listened to his orders. He almost growled at the thought of those men shooting her just because of her heritage. They weren’t going to touch her, she was his…Goten shook his head. He must have been really tired to come up with that.

“Hey, Kid, are you awake in there?” Vegeta asked. He noticed that something was on the boy’s mind. Something that had to do with those girls. If they did have some saiyan blood in them, then he really couldn’t fault his apprentice for appreciating that.

“So did one of them catch your eye?” Mata giggled as Goten turned red.

“It’s…” Goten started. He really didn’t want to have this talk with Vegeta here, but it wasn’t like any of them had their memories to begin with. “I think I knew one of those girls.”

“Which one?” Cilicia said, leaning in. She and Mata were very curious about the boy’s love life.

“The one with the blue hair,” Goten said, not really wanting to say more, but noting that none of them had seen Bra. They had only see those three girls that had been gawking at him in the strangest way. “She was with the group, but she was separated from them.” A smile came to his face as he looked up at the ceiling. “I knew she came out here with my dad, but I didn’t expect to see her there.”

Turles watched his nephew and noted his smile. “How long have you known this girl?” Mata flashed him a smile, telling him that he had done well.

“Since she was born…she’s my former best friend’s sister,” Goten replied.

“Is this the same girl that got you off of those drugs?” Tarble asked with a grin.

Goten turned red. “Well…Yeah.”

“How romantic!” Mata said. “Please tell me that you saved her before we blew up the planet!”

Goten turned even redder as Turles put his arm over his shoulder. “You might as well just spill, your face is giving you away, Young Gun.”

Goten sighed. “Look, it’s not like that! She’s like my sister.”

Vegeta chuckled. “If I remember things correctly, Turles saw Mata like a sister, too.” Turles turned red.

“Until he noticed she wasn’t a little girl anymore,” Tarble said with a grin.

Goten sighed, pulling himself up and walking over to the bar. He didn’t want to talk about Bra right now. He was kind of hoping she made it back to the patrol in one piece…if that was where she was heading.

“Hello, Boy, how about you take me for a spin?” Goten looked over to find a strange alien woman standing next to him at the bar. She had long purple hair and green skin. Her breasts looked larger than her face. Her spiky tail was wiping back and forth. For some reason, he felt dizzy. There was this amazing scent on the air that was driving him crazy.

He was about to nod as she tried to grab onto his shirt, but a blast landed between them. Goten blinked, as he looked around. The blast had knocked him out of his daze. “I’m sorry,” he said, walking away from her and back to the horde. He knew that Vegeta had been the one to fire that blast.

As Goten sat back down, he noticed that the prince had a very serious look his face. “Don’t go near her kind.”

“Why not?” Goten didn’t understand.

“She’s a Cirem,” Cilica explained, glaring at the woman. “They’re a nasty bunch.”

Goten still felt confused as he looked to his Uncle and Tarble. “They pick up men at bars all of the time,” Turles answered.

“Because they breed by devouring them,” Tarble continued. “Then they use the body to create more of them.”

Goten’s eyes grew wide. He felt like he was going to be sick. “So, you see why I stopped you,” Vegeta snarled. He had just gotten his berserker. Nothing was going to take Goten away from them. The half-blood was one of the horde now.

The half-blood nodded. “Thanks.” He wanted to laugh. “Everything really is out to kill you out here.”

Vegeta looked away from the woman and back to the boy. “That’s why it’s better to be in a group. We can watch each other’s back.” The prince knew that the Cirem had to be using some kind of musk. Goten didn’t seem like the type that would fall into bed with anyone. “So, tell me more about this girl.” For some reason, he couldn’t help but feel like he had seen a girl with blue hair before. Sure, there were a lot of blue haired girls in the galaxy, but the odds of the half-blood seeing the same one was very low.

Goten sighed. “She can be a handful, but she’s very smart.” He looked down. “I’ve never seen her take shit from anyone.” Vegeta smirked. It didn’t seem like this girl would be a bad choice for the boy in the future. She had the qualities of a saiyan woman. Hell, those were the things he wanted in a woman. “She gets it from her mother though. I’ve never seen that woman back down to anyone.”

Vegeta shook his head as a strange image entered his mind. He was in a strange room in a strange place. He was yelling at someone about something, but he had no idea why. Then out of the corner, a young woman with blue hair popped out. She was yelling back at him. He formed an energy blast and began to threaten her. But that didn’t faze her at all. ‘Put that away, Mister, or I’m not fixing anything!’

“Vegeta?” Tarble looked up at his brother. “What’s wrong?”

Vegeta shook his head. Where did that come from? Who was that woman? He couldn’t help but feel suspicious. “Nothing.” Whoever that woman was, she was a real piece of work. Although, it might just be his own imagination. After all, his apprentice just described his perfect woman.

After about an hour, the rest of the horde came back. Raditz looked happy with himself, but Negi looked just as frustrated, if not more so than he had when they got there. “What’s wrong, Big Brother?” Mata could see that something was off.

Negi grumbled something that no one could hear. He just didn’t understand. Why was this happening to him?

Onuin sighed, almost growling to himself as well.

Raditz only chuckled. “You know, I had no problems. You two should get that looked at.” He walked past them to the ship.

Cilica looked up at her brother, then began to giggle as she figured it out. “It looks like your years of being manwhores are over.”

Negi growled. “I’m going to kill the person that was in charge of my tank! First my hair and now this!”

Goten was about to ask, but stopped as it came to him. Negi and Onuin couldn’t get anything up. He wondered if that had to do with what really happened in those 30 years.

Turles noticed that his nephew was thinking something over. Goten knew something more than he was saying. He would bide his time. Perhaps his nephew would tell him soon.

To Be Continued…


	22. Chapter 22

When they returned, it wasn’t for long. They had been shipped out once more. Only now they were split into teams. Vegeta had gone with Cilica, Tarble with Raditz, and Mata with Turles; so now Goten was heading off with Negi and Onuin to take care of a planet. The half-blood believed that Vegeta wanted them to develop more of bond on this trip. He was on good terms with them now, but it wasn’t the same as the rest of the horde. He didn’t question Vegeta’s motives. He only did what he was told. The prince chose him to be his berserker and Goten wasn’t going to let him down.

“What’s the population?” Goten asked, looking over at Negi. The ship was on auto pilot.

“I have no idea. I’ve never even heard of this planet before.” Negi chuckled, looking over at Onuin. “Nonmo. What kind of name is that for a planet?”

“Its name won’t matter soon,” Goten laughed.

Oniun was bringing up some information on the planet for the three of them. “I don’t think there’s anything that Frieza wants from this place besides the planet.”

“That’s why Vegeta sent us, Lughead,” Goten explained. “I do have some experience with getting info, but my uncle and Cilica would be better for that. This place just needs to be destroyed.”

Negi chuckled. “And if you need a wrecking crew, look no further.” The sweeper was staring at the map, noting the topography. “Looks like it’s mainly grassland, so those ants won’t have much to hide behind.”

Goten walked over and manipulated the computer. “Want to make this interesting?” The half-blood grinned darkly, making the other’s nod. “This is the dry season.”

“What does that have to do with anything, Runt?” Onuin asked.

Negi’s eyes went wide, then he grabbed the boy and put him into a headlock, but he wasn’t angry at all. The two of them laughed at the genius of their plan. The sweeper couldn’t wait to get on planet now, this was bound to be fun.

* * *

 

Polar growled as the reports began to come in. It seemed that the horde was making sure that everyone knew that they were back. More than 10 planets had been cleared in the last 24hrs and he knew that this berserker was helping them with it.

His commanding officers were getting after him, and the pressure of finding the horde was being turned into a manhunt. “You need to give me more time!” Polar shouted.

“We’ve given you time. We can’t sacrifice the galaxy for your wife,” the commanding officer said.

“You’re forgetting that no one else can do this job. I have the best connections here!” Polar snapped.

“Then stop playing nice!” another officer snapped. “Let go of your emotions, Polar, and do your job! Get your act together before we have another assassination or worse.” The officers left, leaving Polar standing there with his rage.

“We’re going to find them,” Bulma tried to reassure him.

“No, at this point, they don’t want to be found.” Polar turned to look at her. “They’re right, I’ve been too easy on them. In the past, that would have never got me anywhere. I’ve grown soft.”

Bulma shook her head. “No, you fell in love. There’s a difference.”

“My love has made me weak,” Polar countered. “Back in the day, I still had feelings for Cilky, but that didn’t stop me from doing my job.”

“Back then, you weren’t married to her, nor did you have a child,” Bulma explained. “People change with time.”

The frost demon looked away from her. “If we are going to find them, I have to go back to the way I was.” He stormed out of the room as he thought up a plan. The only problem was Vegeta and this berserker. He still didn’t know either of them. He was going to have to stay sharp. Hopefully, this berserker had the mental capacity of Onuin.

* * *

 

Nappa could see the rest of his group coming to find him. Flambee was playing on the floor as Goku and Gohan sat down near him. His eyes found both of Vegeta’s children there as well. “What do you need?”

Gohan sighed. “They have a berserker, what does that mean?” He had heard of the concept, but he didn’t think that another saiyan was out here.

“If it’s anything like a berserker is in video games, it would be an all-powerful person, whose power comes from their rage alone,” Trunks explained. He remembered that only because Goten loved picking one when they played.

“But is that close to what a real saiyan one would be?” Bra asked. She was worried about this as she thought about the young man that had saved her.

Nappa sighed. “It’s been a long time. Berserkers were rare. I know that Vegeta wanted one in his horde because of that. A warrior capable of taking hits and dishing them out. A warrior whose stamina would never run out.”

“Never runs out?” Gohan answered. This was going to be a problem.

“It matters on the situation. The berserker’s power comes from his hate. Vegeta had to work to pull that hatred out of him,” Nappa stated.

Goku pondered that. “So, anyone could be a berserker then. All they would need is the anger.”

Nappa shook his head. “As I said, it’s a rare class. Only those that have had their soul spilt can be berserkers.”

“Soul…split.” Trunks gaped at the older saiyan. The idea sounded horrible.

“How is that even possible?” Goku asked. He wanted to know as much as he could about their new enemy. Frieza had probably made this saiyan for the horde.

“I wonder what kind of breeding went into that guy.” Gohan said, think the same thing as his father.

Nappa shook his head. “Berserkers are not born. Personal experience is what creates them.” The older saiyan sighed. “A moment of pure rage begins the cycle of creation. Usually it involves something happening to the person that the berserker cares for.”

“Cares for how?” Bra asked, feeling like she had heard this before somewhere.

“It could be a friend or lover,” Nappa explained. “But it can’t be an anger directed at one person. It has to be multiple people. After finding that person in danger, the berserker’s soul starts to split as their rage grows. After that, a massacre for the ages takes place.”

Bra covered her mouth as something came to mind. But that couldn’t be right. Sure, it matched her memories, but it couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t.

“The newly made berserker will not remember what happened though. All of the darkness in his soul will be pushed into that half of his soul. It isn’t until the next massacre, when the soul is sewn back together that the berserker is complete,” Nappa explained.

Goku and Gohan were staring at Nappa in shock, while Trunks was pondering that information. “Oh, no!” They all turned to look at Bra.

“What is it?” Trunks asked his sister.

Bra shook her head. She didn’t need them to know about that. Hell, it could just be a coincidence. “I… was just thinking about how horrible that sounds,” she spat out, hoping that would be enough. She didn’t need them knowing about Goten’s secret. “I mean, having to kill so many people to become a monster can’t be easy.” Her memory of that planet was coming back to her. Those eyes that had looked down at her, she was sure they belonged to Goten. Her heart raced. As the berserker, Goten still protected her.

“Bra’s right,” Gohan began, “just the idea of that makes my skin crawl. I can’t imagine how painful that would be.”

“I think the worst part would be living without your memories for a while,” Trunks said, wondering how long this man had been doing so. Did his father start his creation from scratch or was this berserker already set up to be a monster?

“As long as he has a horde, it should be fine,” Nappa stated, getting everyone’s attention. “A rogue berserker is more dangerous than one in a horde. The horde leader can control the berserker’s rage. So, the berserker won’t hurt anyone in the horde, nor will he go after anyone that is close to them, like family members. It’s the only clarity that a berserker can have.”

“What about his own family?” Bra asked.

“The horde is his family now,” Nappa explained. “If he wasn’t already made from their DNA, then his old family would be tossed to the side. That’s just how hordes work.”

Goku pondered this. “I just thought that the saiyan horde was the group’s name. Are you saying that all saiyan’s belong to a horde?”

“That’s weird considering that we don’t have one,” Gohan started only for Nappa to shake his head.

“You have bonds with those fighters on Earth,” Nappa began.

“But they’re human…” Trunks argued.

“That doesn’t matter. They were what Kakarot had. Those warriors are a part of Kakarot’s horde.” Nappa looked at each of them. “Everyone here is a part of that horde actually.”

Bra looked up in shock. “How?!”

“Well, Kakarot has offered to train both of you, and the two of you accepted for one,” Nappa started. “Neither of you were in a horde at the beginning of this trip, but now you belong to one. You may not understand it, but you’re close to your leader and a family bond will start to emerge soon.”

“What about my father’s horde? Why aren’t Bra and I already in that one?” Trunks asked.

“Because blood bonds have nothing to do with being in a horde,” Nappa chuckled. “Just ask your friend, Goten.”

Goku tensed up, as did Gohan. “What about Goten?” Goku didn’t like where this was going at all.

“The boy is horde-less. His bonds are few with those on Earth and I sensed a bit of rejection from him. You may have not realized it, Kakarot, but you may have rejected your son from your horde,” Nappa explained.

“I…I would never…” Goku began.

“The boy’s actions looked like cries for attention to me. He wanted something from you, but you we’re able to give it to him. Once that happened, the boy gave up on wanting your approval.” Nappa could see how broken up Kakarot was over this. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Having one of your children in your horde is rare. Siblings usually fall into the same one though; hell that’s all of Vegeta’s horde.”

Goku wasn’t taking in the rest of Nappa’s words. He was too busy questioning himself as a father. Did Goten run away to find his own horde? Because he excluded him? The idea of him rejecting Goten was making him ill. He had really messed up. Goku could only hope that when he found Goten that he could still bring him in. Hopefully, it wasn’t too late.

* * *

 

Negi smirked over at Goten as they landed. Their plan of attack was quite genius really. Onuin on the other hand, was pouting a little at how close the two were getting. The giant wasn’t sure he liked this whole buddy-buddy thing that had going on.

“It looks like it is indeed the dry season,” Negi answered with glee.

Goten chuckled as he sent a blast on the grassland. “Then let’s set this place ablaze and enjoy the show.”

They flew around going to each different part of the planet, causing fire after fire. Goten noticed Onuin’s dismay, but had already figured out what the problem was.

Negi flew back over as the screaming began. He was smirking at Goten as people began to run. “So, they’re all going towards the same place.”

Goten chuckled. “It’s time to pick them all off at once.” He flew downward, taking out more than one ship. Only a few would escape from this place. He wanted his title to spread far and wide. The galaxy would know of the horde’s berserker. Everyone would tremble in fear the same way they did when they heard his Master’s name.

Onuin’s spirits lifted as they began the killing. Finally, they were seeing some action. Onuin would take hit after hit for Negi, while the sweeper took out men, women, and children.

The giant’s eyes looked over at Goten, seeing the blood stains all over the boy’s jumpsuit. He never noticed how the boy held himself until now. What came to them was a scared, timid, shell of a boy…what was standing there now was a confident, fearless, saiyan soldier. Onuin was almost sure that he was looking at a younger version of the prince, but then shook his head. He knew that it was the runt.

“Hey, Lughead, get back to work!” Goten shouted at Onuin as he cracked some skulls together.

Onuin smirked. Goten was right. They did have a job to do.

The horde would take this planet and pick it dry. The only survivors would tell everyone about the things they had done. For that, Son Goten couldn’t wait.

To Be Continued…


	23. Chapter 23

Bulma sighed as she stared at her screen. Over twenty planets had been cleared by Frieza’s army within the last week. She didn’t know how many of those were her husband and his horde, but Bulma knew it had to be a lot of them. Now that there were 9 members of the horde, they could cover more ground.

She did ponder who this new guy was. How did a new saiyan just fall out of the sky? It was a real mystery. She thought about their missing member, then shook her head. Goten was such a good boy…well besides his playboyish tendencies. It was strange, it was like the boy had changed when he was 14 and never looked back. She had tried to talk to Chichi about it, but the housewife had no idea. Meanwhile, Goku had been busy training Uub, and Gohan was working full time. The heiress was starting to wonder if Goten’s behavior was connected to him wanting attention from Goku and the others.

Part of that made sense. Goten had wanted to train when he was a kid, but really didn’t get that much training. As the years went by, it seemed that the boy had given up on that idea.

Just as she was about to toss out that idea, Goku walked in with Gohan and her son. She knew that Bra was off reading in the ship. The girl wanted some peace and quiet for her break times. “How was the training?” she asked her son.

“Intense,” Trunks said, wiping some sweat from his forehead. “Have you found anything?”

Bulma shook her head. “I’m just looking at all of these planets, but there’s no pattern.” Her eyes went over to Goku, who was speaking to Gohan. “Goku, I was just pondering something…can you answer something for me?”

“Shoot.” Goku wondered what Bulma could possibly want to ask him. He hadn’t seen her in days. Earth’s Hero barely left the ship.

“Why didn’t you ever train Goten?” Bulma asked, only to see Goku frown.

“He didn’t want to fight, so I didn’t push it.” Goku looked away from her. Why did she have to ask him something like this? Of course Bulma would find the one question that would hurt him the most.

Bulma have Goku a puzzled look. “That’s not how I remember it.”

Goku jumped as he turned his eyes back to Bulma. “What do you mean?” Did he miss something?

“When he was a kid, he wanted to grow up to be just like you, Goku.” Bulma almost giggled. “Trunks and Goten would run around the yard pretending that they were fighters like their dads.”

Trunks turned red. “Well…times change.”

Bulma sighed. “Yeah, they do. But you two were so cute. Hell, I remember one time when Goku was still dead, your father was getting ready to train you and send Goten home, but the boy looked so dejected that Vegeta ended up training him that day too. Chichi was so pissed when Goten finally got home. “

Goku had frozen in place. “Goten…he wanted to train…” He couldn’t believe it. “But why didn’t he ever tell me?”

Gohan thought back. “I remember that he liked it, but after the stuff with Buu, he lost interest.”

Goku nodded, feeling better after his eldest spoke, only to have his stomach drop once more as Bulma spoke up. “But he came by to use the gravity room with Trunks until Trunks stopped training. He stopped coming by all together for a while. Then out of the blue, he started coming over almost every day.”

Trunks felt confused. “No, Mom, Goten only comes over every two weeks.” His best friend was rarely around. How could she get an idea like that?

Bulma giggled. “Oh, Honey, he wasn’t there to hang out with you. He was usually with your sister.”

“WHAT?!” Trunks snapped as Gohan looked at his father. What did all of this mean? “You said he was around every once in a while, not every day!”

“Yeah, they never did anything, Trunks. He just came over and talked with Bra. They watched a couple of movies and that was it. Any time I went to check on them, they would go quiet. I didn’t like that they were hiding something, but your father assured me that Goten wasn’t doing anything. Bra didn’t carry that kind of smell. After a while, I just figured that it was two friends hanging out,” Bulma said as Trunks breathed a sigh of relief.

“So Goten really wanted to train?” Goku couldn’t believe that he missed out on his chance.

“Well, I think he gave up on the idea a long time ago, Goku,” Bulma said, trying to get that frown off of Goku’s face.

Gohan stared at his father. “Yeah, think about it Dad, if he really wanted to fight, he wouldn’t have given up on it.”

Goku sighed. “I just wish I knew about that. We could have had some fun…”

“You could always do something besides training with him…at least after we find him,” Gohan said with a laugh.

“Gohan, what do the two of us have in common?” Goku asked. “Goten’s given me nothing to go off of.”

Bra walked in, she had just finished her book. “Why’s everyone in here?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you spent so much time with Goten?” Trunks rounded on his sister. He was starting to think that this was the reason that Goten hadn’t spilled anything about his sister.

“He needed someone to talk to,” Bra answered. “The rest of you were **too** **busy** , so I just took over.” She didn’t look at them as she walked over to her mother. “Did you bring any books for me to read? I think I’m out.”

Trunks flinched at his sister’s words. Was Goten really that lonely? He could have just said something to him. Why didn’t Goten lean on him? “He could have come to me.”

“Could he, Trunks?” Bra said, not looking at her brother.

Bulma shook her head. “I didn’t bring anything, sadly. I didn’t think we would be gone this long.”

“Damn, I guess I’m going to have to walk around until I find something,” Bra said, before leaving the room once more.

Trunks looked over at his mother. “What does she mean by that?”

“By what?” Bulma asked.

“Goten could have come to me with anything!” Trunks snapped.

Goku and Gohan decided to take a step out. They had heard enough. Gohan was still trying to convince his father that Goten grew out of that stage a long time ago and if Goten really wanted it, he would have come to them.

Goku sighed. “You’re probably right. You are the smart one after all.”

Gohan laughed. “Yeah, Goten has to be surrounded by a dozen girls right now.”

“I don’t want to even think about that.” Goku laughed as they headed to the mess hall. They needed to fuel up before they started training again.

* * *

 

Goten chuckled darkly to himself as he destroyed the temple under him. Around a dozen priestesses came running out, all of which were on fire. He sent another blast, cutting down half of them in one go.

To his right a massive explosion went off. Raditz had just cut off the escape route. The half saiyan laughed to himself as he flew towards the ground. He wanted some more hand to hand combat and ripping people apart piece by piece was a lot more fun.

His nose burned as he smelled the burning flesh and city around him. Another explosion rocked the ground, causing debris to fly up and around. The terrified screams of their victims plagued the beauty that was around him. Goten smirked. This was like his own version of nirvana. If only he had known this sooner, it would have saved him so much pain and regret.

But then again, he wouldn’t be who he was without that pain. He needed that inferno inside of him to keep moving. It was his main motivation and there was no way he was going to lose that now. His horde needed him.

The half-blood heard the sound of skin tearing and changed his course. His Uncle Turles had just ripped a man in half. “I see that you’re having fun.” Goten grinned.

Turles smirked back at him. “Says the one that’s covered in blood. I swear that you go through so many jumpsuits.”

“Until I get some armor of my own, then Frieza is just going to have to fit the bill.” Goten twisted around, elbowing a man in the face, causing his victim’s head to cave in on itself. “Besides, he does want this planet cleared up by noon.”

“What time is it now?” Raditz said, walking over. His older uncle was covered in soot from the explosions.

“Just before 9,” Goten said, as his uncle pressed a button, filling the area around them with more screams of pain. “Sometimes I wish I could record their screams, it’s kind of soothing.”

Turles chuckled. “This coming from the kid that thought he couldn’t kill anyone.”

“I was a fool to what I am,” Goten began. “You can’t blame me. I was forced to be blind.”

“The boy has a point, Brother,” Raditz said with a smirk. He couldn’t wait for Kakarot to see his son now. The look of shock would be enough for his revenge. It would be nice to see Goten reject the father that had rejected him…the brother that rejected himself.

“I did get the data I needed,” Turles said as a man ran past them on fire, only for Goten to blast the man through the chest a second later. “Something doesn’t seem right though.”

“What do you mean?” Raditz asked as their nephew walked away. Goten had walked over to the man that was still alive and was kicking him in the stomach.

“Why isn’t the patrol out here? You would think that they would have tracked our movements by now,” Turles stated, crossing his arms. “Something fishy is going on.”

“We’re just too smart for them. You know that,” Raditz responded, then noticed the look in Turles’s eye.

“You know more than you’re saying, Brother. How about you drop the act?” After he recovered the memory of mating with Mata, he began to wonder what else was being hidden from them.

“What act?” Raditz said defensively.

“You’re hiding something. What was Frieza’s real reason for waking us up?” Turles started.

“You think I know what our boss is thinking?” Raditz cursed internally. He didn’t need Turles to spill the beans to Vegeta and the others just yet. Frieza had trusted him to keep this all under wraps and he would do so. “Like he’s going to trust someone like me, especially when my own family doesn’t.”

Raditz walked away, leaving Turles alone. The younger sibling wondered what that mean, then headed after his brother. “What is that supposed to mean?”

The bomber cursed his big mouth. “Just forget what I said, Turles. It will be healthier for you.”

Goten walked back over to them, he had only heard a bit of their conversation. “I still trust you, Uncle Raditz.”

Raditz gave the boy a smirk. “Come on, this planet is cleared. We might as well go party for a bit.”

Turles rolled his eyes. “Of course, you’re thinking with your dick.”

* * *

 

Vegeta walked into a small room. He knew why he was here. He had been summoned. “You wished to see me, Lord Frieza.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed that you’ve been using more food and power as of late. Mind telling me why?” The Frost Demon already knew the answer. He had heard the reports about a saiyan berserker in his army.

“We came across something of value.” The prince smirked. “Do you know of a saiyan by the name of Kakarot?”

Frieza knew that name, but only because Raditz had said it to him after the resurrection. What did this boy have to do with Son Goku? “What about him?”

“Apparently, he’s a failure of a saiyan. So much so, that he dumped his youngest child. Raditz and Turles found the boy on some trash planet and brought him to me. From there, I’ve worked on him to the best of my ability. He is a member of my horde now.” The prince grinned darkly with pride. “He’s been made into the perfect warrior.”

Frieza couldn’t help it, this was better than any news had ever received. The fact that Son Goku’s son was in his army was glorious. “Do you think that the boy will remain loyal?”

“He’s more than loyal. The horde bond is true. He’s already turned his back on them in more than one way.” As Vegeta spoke, he knew that his pride was coming off of him in waves, but he didn’t care in the slightest. His apprentice was something worth bragging about.

Sorbet walked in, looking pale. “The religious sect on Planet Platar is gone…”

“If you want to test his abilities, then you can when he returns, my Lord,” Vegeta answered. “He was on that planet with his uncles.”

“There was only one ship of survivors from the look of it,” Frieza said, looking over the screen. He was impressed. “When the boy returns, you will bring him to me. I want to see this son of Kakarot for myself.”

“The boy does need new armor, my Lord,” the prince began.

“Then put in an order, or do you want something better than average?” Frieza already knew that had to be on Vegeta’s mind.

“Considering the boy’s power and talent, he’s going to need a much stronger set,” Vegeta explained.

“I’ll approve any order you make then.” The Frost Demon looked over the screen, then sighed. “If only there was a way for me to see into that mainframe.”

“Which one?” Vegeta asked.

“That damn Patrol and their Galactic King. I want to know what they are planning,” Frieza stated.

Vegeta smirked. “Knowing those airheads, it’s probably nothing to worry about, Lord Frieza.”

* * *

 

Raditz walked off from them the moment they stepped into the bar. Turles rolled his eyes. “I wish he would just find someone and settle down.”

Goten laughed. “You know Uncle Raditz isn’t into that.”

“I just want to know what he meant earlier,” Turles began, only for Goten to cut him off.

“Well, he was alone for a long time without the rest of you,” Goten answered, then explained. “He wasn’t dead for all of it. Remember, he did make his way to Earth.”

“What do you mean by him being alone?” What did his brother tell his nephew?

“Uncle Turles, you’re a smart one, aren’t you?” Goten asked. “Do you really think you’ve been in a tank all of this time?”

Turles’s eyes went wide. “So we were on the outside. How much do you really know?” He was suspicious of the boy now.

“As I said, I only know what I know from Earth. I will share it with you now, but you must promise to keep it to yourself for the time being. If this information gets out, Frieza may end up killing everyone right out of the gate,” Goten said.

Turles leaned closer. “I’ll keep that promise. Now let me know everything.”

To Be Continued…


	24. Chapter 24

Goten sighed as they landed back at base. He let his uncle in on everything he knew so far. Turles had taken it pretty well, for the most part. He still wanted answers about Raditz’s behavior, but it looked like he wasn’t going to get those right now.

Goten wanted to go lie down, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen. He could already see the prince heading towards him. Vegeta looked quite serious. “Come with me and be on your best behavior.” The half-blood didn’t question his master’s motives. Something had to be going on.

They were walking away from the compound, and Goten looked back to find both of his uncles looking somewhat worried. It was then that the berserker realized where he was going. He was going to come face to face with Frieza.

As he walked, he mentally prepared himself. The last thing he wanted was to make Vegeta look bad. The prince had put his name out on the line for him and Goten wasn’t going to dishonor it.

They walked by so many different soldiers. The half-blood knew that most, if not all, were victims of the man they worked for. In the beginning, he wondered why they would want to work for someone like that. Now he understood. Being a member of this army gave those fighters power and wealth…while keeping them close to their main target. The half-blood already knew about his Uncle Turles’s loathing of the frost demon, but at the same time, Raditz treated Frieza like a god.

Vegeta stopped, then nodded at a nearby door. The half saiyan realized that he would be going in alone. He gave his mentor a curt nod, before he headed inside.

Goten looked around what had to be a large throne room. He could sense the sinister presence standing around some sort of beacon in the middle. “I’ve been expecting you, Son Goten,” Frieza said with a chuckle.

Goten lowered himself to one knee before staring up at the frost demon. “It’s just Goten.” He didn’t want to use that horrid last name of his. He didn’t need it anymore. Goten already had a family. The Sons were no longer needed.

Frieza grinned at the boy’s words. “So, you renounce your father?”

“I have no father,” Goten said as the frost demon motioned for him to stand. The half-blood got up, following Frieza over to the beacon. Goten looked down at the jumble of planets. “What is this?”

“It’s boring, really. I’ve been trying to find a way into the patrol, but that cousin of mine has everything locked down,” the frost demon said. “There are also reports that Son Goku and a few others are docked there,” Frieza sneered. “You wouldn’t know more about that would you?”

“I was taken by my uncles before they got close to the Patrol, but I believe that was part of their plan. You know why they came out here already,” the half-blood answered.

The frost demon smirked. “You’re an interesting one. I never thought that his son would turn on him.”

“He turned his back on me first. The prince helped me to see what I already knew all along…I just refused to accept it.” Goten still didn’t trust this man, but needed to make the frost demon happy. Not that he didn’t believe what he was saying, he just knew from what the man had done to his horde that he couldn’t be fully trusted.

“You know that they have no memory of their past, besides Raditz of course.” Frieza chuckled. The long maned saiyan had been one of his greatest allies, mainly because he knew the man’s greatest secret. The rest of the horde would think badly of Raditz if they knew the truth. So deceiving them by keeping tabs on them was the job the bomber was given. 

“My uncle and I know to keep our mouths shut,” Goten said sharply. This was the reason why his uncle didn’t want him to say anything to Vegeta.

“So you’re not mad that he’s deceiving everyone? I did give him files on everyone’s pasts. He knows everything about them, but stays quiet. Do you know his reasoning?” the frost demon inquired.

Now this was news to the half-blood. “No, Lord Frieza, I don’t know his reasoning at all.”

The frost demon continued to smirk. “Yes, he would keep all of that to himself.” Frieza looked back over at the boy. “We are finished here. Return to your master.”

Goten gave Frieza a nod, then turned his back to leave. The entire time, he felt the monster’s eyes on him, causing chills to go up and down his spine, but that was the least of his worries. He needed to know what Raditz was hiding. He needed to find Uncle Turles and talk to him as well.

Vegeta was waiting for him. “It looks like everything went well.” He was glad to find the boy in one piece.

“Yes, it was rather intense. He really doesn’t like Son Goku,” Goten said, walking with the prince.

Vegeta pondered that information. Why did Frieza care so much about Kakarat? Did Kakarot do something to the frost demon in the years they had been asleep? “Did he bring up anything else?”

“Just some things about the Patrol.” They walked through a narrow hall before heading outside. Goten could see the compound from here.

“Yes, he brought that up to me as well. It seems that we’ve run into the one place that we can’t enter. I’ve thought up more than one plan, but each scenario ends up in failure.” The prince hated to admit it. The one called Polar would be hard to fool. Sending in Tarble or Turles would be suicide for each of them.

Goten stopped in place. Suddenly, he had an idea. “You need a way inside the Patrol?”

Vegeta turned, then grinned as he studied the half-blood’s face. “Do you have a plan?” His apprentice nodded, then smirked. “How about you let me in on the details then?”

There were a couple of aliens around them. “Let us get back home, then I will tell you everything, Master.”

* * *

Bulma sighed as she looked at the screens. The news was still booming over the destruction of multiple planets.

Polar walked in and turned off one of the screens. He was tired of listening to it. “I’m going to send an extra squad off planet for a little bit. We have to protect the planets around the Patrol.”

Rouge peeked up. “I’ll go, too.” She was hoping to run into Negi. The picture wasn’t enough. She needed her husband back badly.

Polar didn’t try to argue. It would do him some good to get all of these women out of his hair. The only one that was useful to him right now was Bulma anyway.

The door opened and Bulma watched a short young woman with purple skin walk in. She had a teal pixie cut and golden eyes, but other than those features, she looked human with a rabbit-like tail. “What did you need, Polar?” It looked like she was chewing gum.

Polar sighed. “I need the bomb squad to separate for a while.” He walked forward handing her an assignment. “You’ll be on Coraf, Grenaade.”

She nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

Bulma watched the stranger leave, wondering what Coraf looked like. “If anyone knows how to de-activate a bomb, it would be her,” Polar said, his eyes went over to Rouge. “Why don’t you go with the squad on Turbug 1?”

Rouge nodded. “So, you finally see how useful I am?”

Polar rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

Bercu and Bra walked in. “Is there anything we can do to help?” Bercu asked.

Polar nodded. “Can you go to Coraf 1 with the bomb squad, Bercu? Bra can stay here and help her mother go through some transmissions.” The girls were far more useful than the royals.

“Yeah, I can go,” Bercu said. “My sister will probably tag along for the ride.”

“That’s not a problem,” Polar said, going through some things. At least he finally had everything in working order again.

* * *

Goku paced, then looked at Gohan. They had been sitting here for far too long. “We need to tell your mother.”

Gohan nodded. “She’s not going to be happy.”

“Either way she’ll be angry with me,” Goku said. “It will be better if we’re all here anyway.”

“Yeah.” Gohan sighed. “It would probably be a good idea to bring Uub.” He hated admitting it.

“Why?” Goku growled. He figured that his son wouldn’t want his apprentice there.

“We need every hand we can get,” Gohan said. “The horde isn’t a joke and this new berserker is a wild card.” Gohan couldn’t help but wonder who the mystery man was.

Trunks walked out of the gravity room and plopped down next to them. “I’ve been wondering, too. Did Frieza just clone another saiyan or something?”

“It’s possible,” Gohan said. “He could have easily genetically modified one.”

Goku sighed. “What happened to good old fashioned fighting, why bring something like that into the mix?” He just didn’t see why anyone would want to turn it into a rage fight. How the hell did anyone control themselves in that state and what were the limitations?

“That’s why we need back up. The Patrol can only do so much.” Gohan sighed. “That’s why Dad is going to go and get Uub. We’ll have a better chance of survival with him here.”

Pan stepped in, then smiled. “Uub’s coming here?!” she squealed at the idea of her boyfriend being close to her again.

“There will be no time for hanky-panky,” Gohan growled. “The two of you are to be with me or your grandparents at all times.”

“But, Daddy!” Pan started to argue.

“No arguing!” Goku snapped. “It’s for your own good.”

Pan started to pout as Trunks looked back over at Gohan. “Do you think that we can take down the berserker with Uub?”

“He’s the reincarnation of Majin Buu,” Gohan answered. “He may have the best chance.”

Goku sighed, wondering where Goten was. Hopefully, Chichi wouldn’t be too mad with him when he returned.

* * *

Turles jumped as he heard a knock at his door. Mata wouldn’t just knock, and he knew she was still training downstairs.

The door opened and his nephew walked in. It was late. “I heard about the plan. When do we start?”

Goten smiled. “Soon, but you know that’s not why I’m here.”

Turles motioned for his nephew to sit down. “Did Frieza shed any insight on what’s going on here?”

“Yes and no, but I do know that you were all up and running around before you were in those pods,” Goten stated, making his uncle curse. “Like Vegeta, your memories have been altered.”

“So, now it’s just a waiting game on that,” the spy grumbled. It was hard to believe that he had an entire life with Mata before all of this. “Did you discover anything else?”

“We need to keep our eyes on Uncle Raditz.” The half-blood was still on the fence about telling Turles about Raditz.

“What do you mean?” The spy didn’t like where this was going at all.

“Raditz is very loyal to Frieza. If we step out of line, he will be the first to report us.” Goten mentally decided to keep that info to himself. He would go to his other uncle next and see what he could find.

“My brother wouldn’t do that. He’s loyal to the horde.” Turles spoke defensively. He could tell that Goten wasn’t telling him everything, but at the same time he was refusing to believe it. Raditz wouldn’t betray them…or maybe his brother had already done so.

“Just heed my words.” Goten stood up, he could sense that Mata was on her way back. “Keep your eyes open while I’m gone.”

Turles smirked. “I’ll report what I find to you.”

Goten nodded, leaving Turles alone before heading out into the hall. He knew his next destination well. He had been inside of his uncle’s room more than once for training.

He didn’t knock, he only opened the door. Goten walked inside, finding the room empty. Where the hell could Raditz be at this time of night? No one was out on missions.

The half-blood walked over, finding a small paper journal sitting near the bed. Why would anything made of paper be here? Goten shrugged, then picked it up. He read the first page, and pocketed it. If he was going to find out Raditz’s secret, this was the place to start. He would find out why his uncle was betraying the Horde. No matter what the cost.

To Be Continued…


	25. Chapter 25

Raditz sighed as he finished placing the last of his bombs on the strange planet. He liked his nephew’s plan, even if it was unorthodox. These planets were close to the patrol, which was kind of dangerous. Sure, most of the patrol was full of idiots, but times did change. They could be a threat now.

He figured that he should stop for a drink. The bomber could use one before he returned to the horde.

As he walked into a nearby bar, he noticed a chick taking shots from the bar. She was laughing as she ordered another drink. “So, he sends me out here do check for bombs, but this planet is so clean of anything.” Then she pouted. “Why does every bomb I come across have to be so boring?”

Raditz grinned. So, the patrol knew he was alive and well. That was interesting, but that wasn’t what really got his attention. This woman wanted to see a bomb that wasn’t easy to deactivate…He had plenty of those.

He could barely contain himself as he sat down next to her and ordered a drink. “So, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” he asked, knowing that would at least start a conversation. She wasn’t the type that he usually went for, but he figured that he could get some decent information out of it.

She glared at him. “Who do you think you are?” She shook her head, looking back at the bartender.

“Just a lonely man, looking for some company,” Raditz smiled. “And when you’ve been dead like me, you know what heaven looks like.”

That caught her attention. “You’ve died…?”

Raditz smirked. “Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend it.” He grabbed his shot and downed it in one go. “So, does the lady have a name?”

She thought about telling him off, but he was interesting, but that wasn’t the only thing. “Have I seen you before?” There was something familiar about his face.

“Probably in your dreams,” he said with a sly smirk before turning to the bartender. “How about another?”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you just going to spout cheesy pickup lines?”

“It got you talking to me, didn’t it?” Raditz said, taking his shot. “You still haven’t answered my question or do you not have a name?”

“Grenaade,” she answered, watching as he grabbed a remote out of his pocket. “What is that for?”

He chuckled. “It’s for a very interesting puzzle of mine.” He passed it to her. “Do you think you can figure it out? I’m stumped.”

She took the remote from him. “It looks really sophisticated.” How did this idiot get ahold of something like this? She moved her hand over what looked like a small ball. She moved it around, watching as the ball rolled in the remote. There had to be a reason for that.

“See, I told you that it’s a pain,” Raditz said, watching her every move.

Grenaade put the remote down as she tried to think it over. Meanwhile, he was ordering them more drinks. She took a couple of shots and got to looking at it once more, but as time went by, she was starting to get dizzy. “It looks like I can’t do it.” She giggled from the alcohol.

“I think I have the answer…back at my room.” He grinned to himself as she stood up but couldn’t hold herself up straight. “I’ll take that for you being game.” As he stood up, he also felt a little tipsy. Not that that mattered, he could get back to normal after a good night’s sleep.

Raditz placed his hand behind her back, leading her out of the bar and towards his room. She was a galactic agent. He knew that from her uniform, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have his fun. She was a giggling mess as he led her to his room. “What are you going to show me?” Her voice had become a little seductive, which was to his liking.

“You’ll see.” He opened the door and helped her over to the bed. She fell back onto the mattress and he smirked. “Do you want to get to that now or later?”

She wondered what he meant by that, so she sat up. “Did you have something else for me?”

He dug into a box, getting a small bomb out of it. “Why don’t you try and disarm this?” He chuckled throwing it at her. He wanted to see what the woman could do. Not that she would get close. No one ever did.

Her eyes went wide as she noticed the clock counting down. Quickly, she looked around for any sign of a shut off line, but there wasn’t any. She turned it in her hands, trying to trace which lines went where. All of the cords were the same color, so it was harder to track it on a time limit. She found a small panel, but found that on the inside was the same as the puzzle from before. Only now she could see where the balls needed to land. She tried to get them moved into the correct slots by tilting the bomb in her hand. Just as she was about to get the last one, it went off. A small puff of smoke came out and hit her in the face.

Raditz chuckled. He was impressed that she got that far. Although, that wasn’t the complete puzzle to begin with. “What a shame.”

She looked up at him. “You have more of these?”

He grinned. “I do…but there’s another explosion about that’s about to go off…how about you take care of that?”

She was about to ask him as he removed his armor. She let out a moan before dropping the piece of metal in her hands. “Yes…I think I can take care of that.” She smirked as she threw herself at him.

Amongst the passion, he pulled the remote out of his pocket, pushing a button on it. The bombs were set...they should go off some time tomorrow morning. As for now, his plans involved him pushing this woman down and doing what he did best. He hoped that she was ready to be blown away, because this would be an explosion that she would never forget.

* * *

 

Goku sighed as he reappeared in his house. He could hear his wife running around. This was going to be hard…he already knew that.

Chichi came out of the kitchen and froze. “What are you doing home?”

Goku looked at his wife. “You need to come with me, Chichi. There’s been an issue.”

She looked worried. “Did something happen out there?”

Goku took a deep breath. “Goten’s gone missing.” He waited for her reaction, knowing that it wouldn’t be pretty.

“HE WENT WHAT?!” Chichi shrieked, getting in his face. “I KNEW THAT I SHOULDN’T HAVE LET HIM GO WITH YOU! Now my baby boy is out there in space all by himself! Goku, how could you be so irresponsible?”

“It didn’t happen like that, Chichi. Let me explain,” Goku started, but feared for the worst.

“Well explain then! Where is my baby?!” Chichi snapped.

“We left him to look after the ship and he ran off,” Goku answered, still hoping that Chichi wasn’t going to kill him.

“Then why didn’t you use your Ki to find him?” While mad, she didn’t understand why her boy would run off like that.

“He was too far away from me,” Goku responded. “I thought that he was mad with me and Gohan, and decided to come home, but that wasn’t the case.”

“Do you think he was kidnapped?” Chichi said with worry. The idea of her son being surrounded by thugs and ruffians made her faint.

“He could have been. It’s just hard to tell.” Goku was still trying to figure that part out for himself. “I just wanted to bring you with me. It will be better if all of us are looking for him. The patrol is so focused on Vegeta and the horde.”

“Horde?” Chichi asked. What had she missed?

“I’ll explain when we get there.” Now here was the part he didn’t want to talk about. “We are going to need Uub as well,” Goku said, waiting for her to start yelling again.

“Why would we need that scumbag?” Chichi snapped. There was no way that she was going to forgive the boy for deflowering her precious granddaughter.

“There’s this warrior in space that I don’t know if I can take out. We are going to need all of the fire power we can get,” Goku admitted.

His wife sighed as she moved around the house, forcing Goku to follow her. Goku wanted to ask, but then found Uub sitting in Goten’s room. The boy looked positively terrified. “Look, Mrs. Chichi, I swear I won’t do it again. It just happened…I wanted to tell you all, honestly I did.”

Goku sighed, walking passed his wife and over to his apprentice. Uub looked down in shame. “You’re coming with me, but you’re not to go near Pan. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Uub said, finally looking up at him. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

Goku finally smiled. “At least you were using protection.”

Uub turned pale. “What did you think we were doing?” He needed to play his cards right. He didn’t know who told on him, but sleeping with Pan had been a spur of the moment thing. Everyone needed to think that that didn’t happen and the girl was lying. If not, he wouldn’t get the girl he really wanted.

Goku and Chichi looked at each other, then back at Uub. “You slept with Pan,” Chichi said, accusing him.

Uub looked at them in mock horror. “No, I didn’t. We’ve only been on a couple of dates.” His eyes went to Goku. “You know me better than that.”

“Dates?” Chichi said.

“You took her out on some dates?” Goku asked. Now he was really confused.

“Yeah, she asked me to take her to some movies,” Uub said, looking sheepish. “At first, I thought that Bra and Trunks were going as well, but it turned out that she wanted me to herself. I didn’t want to break her heart so I thought I would at least make her happy.”

Goku breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Kami.” He smiled at his apprentice. “We can get all of this cleared up, but first, I need your help.”

“What’s going on?” Uub said, finally standing up. It looked like Chichi wasn’t mad anymore, but she was still frowning at him.

“The patrol is a mess. There’s a soldier known as the berserker. We need as many hands as we can get,” Goku explained.

“What do we know about this guy?” Uub asked.

Goku sighed. “Not much. Everything is surrounded in mystery.” He looked over at his wife. “Along with that, Goten is missing.”

Uub did want to laugh at that, but kept his mouth shut. Of course, the ladies’ man that was Goten would go missing. He had never seen such a lazy bum in all of his life. It was shocking that the boy was Goku’s son. Especially when compared to Gohan. “Do you know where you saw him last?” As Goku explained to Uub what had happened on Vencarzu, the young man couldn’t help but sigh. Goten was an idiot after all, but then he realized something important. Goten had told Chichi about him and Pan. Goten had lied and threw him to the sharks. When he found that bastard, he was going to give him a piece of his mind and maybe a punch for good measure. “So, when are we leaving?” Uub asked.

“We’re going now. Just make sure you grab on tight,” Goku said to his wife and student. The two grabbed on and disappeared from the house, landing next to the ship at the patrol seconds later.

* * *

 

Vegeta chuckled at the screens below him. Negi and Onuin were in position, Raditz’s bombs were set to go off tomorrow at the same time. Cilica and Tarble were headed to another planet, along with Turles and Mata. “Are you sure this will work, kid?”

Goten laughed darkly to himself as he walked out. Vegeta cringed as he looked over that outfit. “You know that it’s the best way to get in there.”

Vegeta sighed. “Those clothes are really a bore.”

“But they serve a purpose now,” Goten said, putting a strange gel on his hair. He looked down at his old clothes. There were holes in them, but that didn’t matter. “Once we are done, I’ll be sure to burn them, Master.”

Vegeta smirked. “Once you return, you will get your reward, my Apprentice.”

Goten looked at his backside. “I look forward to it.” He laughed darkly and the prince joined in. No one would get in their way. Not the Patrol, not Frieza, not even the gods themselves. Goten knew this was where he belonged. He was a saiyan of the horde and nothing would ever change that. “I’ll be on my way then.”

Vegeta grinned at him. “Good luck.”

“A saiyan doesn’t need luck.” Goten smirked back as the prince grinned at him with pride. Yes, he found his destiny, there was no running from it. Instead, he would welcome it with open arms. The stage was set, now it was time for him to be the star performer. All eyes were on him, as it should be.

To Be Continued…

 


	26. Chapter 26

Negi looked over at Onuin. Taking out these soldiers was easy. He usually wouldn’t have been on board with the Runt’s plan, but if it meant that he got to kill all of these Patrolmen, he wasn’t going to complain.

“This is the life, isn’t it?” Negi said, punching one man through the stomach. They had given away their position as promised. This would set the stage of the Runt’s plan. He just wondered if the boy could pull it off. This was a massive operation, which all of them were onboard for.

“Yeah, I could do this all day,” Onuin said, batting his arm across from him, knocking multiple soldiers to the ground. “Do you think he can handle it?”

“Vegeta trusts him.” Negi wheeled around, elbowing one man through the chest, while kneeing another. “As much as I hate to admit it, the boy has skill.”

Onuin smirked. “So, you like him?”

Negi glared at the giant. “I didn’t say that!”

Onuin laughed. “But he’s a part of the horde.”

“Yes, he is one of us. There is no denying that,” Negi said, knocking a man’s head off, sending it flying. He heard a giggle and turned his gaze. There was a strange alien female standing there with red skin. She had the head in her hands.

“I really wasn’t expecting this,” she said with a grin. Rouge looked over her husband, Kasi…no, Negi, had never looked this good. Hell, he looked just as fit, if not more so than he did when they had met. Blood was dripping off of his armor and she had just witness him decapitate that soldier whose head she was holding.

“So, you think you’re a challenge for me?” Negi said with a grin. There was something off in the woman’s eyes. This could be fun. “Onuin, why don’t you go take care of the next city over. I got this.”

Onuin chuckled before flying off. That woman didn’t stand a chance against Negi.

Rouge watched as her husband circled her. She knew this tactic. She grinned, maybe he wasn’t as good as he thought he was. She waited for him to strike, keeping her tail ready for the attack. She wouldn’t kill him, but at least she could try and knock some sense into him. “So, come and get me, Big Boy.”

Negi froze as he heard her call him that. Why did it sound like he had heard that before? As her tail gleamed from the sharp end, Negi felt like that wasn’t her only secret. “If I didn’t know better, I would say that you’re trying to seduce me.”

She giggled. “Now what would give you that idea?” She began to walk forward, she knew that he had to be remembering something.

A soldier ran between them, heading for Negi. The man didn’t get very far, as he was promptly punched in the face, before being slammed to the ground. “That’s quite rude. I was having a conversation.” He blasted the man in the head before smirking darkly. “I would refrain from that in the future.”

Rouge stared as blood spirted out and hit her husband in the face. He didn’t even flinch. She felt a stirring inside as she walked forward. She had always seen Kasi as weak…this was the real him…now certain things made sense. The fact that no one ever came after her district…all of the times where a fight ended before it really began…how they never got screwed out of trade deals…Kasi had always been with her. He had been protecting her the entire time, while keeping his secret.

And now here he was, back to being the creature he was before they met, but she couldn’t help how alluring that was. Her tail twitched and she watched as his eyes met hers. She pounced forward, pushing him down. He growled, ready to attack her as he flipped them, only for her to grab a hold of his face and pull him down into a kiss.

Negi’s eyes opened in shock. What was this woman doing? They were supposed to be fighting. As he tried to pull off, he felt something against his crotch. He was going to get angry about what the tank operators did, only to notice that things were coming to life. He pulled up from the kiss and stared at her in confusion. They had a battle to be fighting…but dammit, he was horny.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she slipped her tail between his legs. “Give me all you got, Kasi.”

Negi blinked a couple of times down at her. For some reason, he knew that name.  It was almost as if someone had called him that in the past. He leaned forward giving into his desires. “It’s Negi.”

She giggled. “I know.”

Onuin continued fighting. He was wondering what was taking Negi so long. That woman couldn’t have been that much of a challenge. There had to be more soldiers over there.

He took out another set, just to find Negi flying over to him seconds later. “What have you been doing?” he asked, noting that his comrade looked dazed. “Do you need a medic or something?” Onuin didn’t see any place where Negi had been hit.

Negi chuckled. “No…I feel great.” Now that he had his problem taken care of, he could finish off the rest of this planet with ease. It was odd though, he didn’t get her name, but swore that he had used it while they were going at it. He was still confused by the Kasi thing, but he let it slide. It had to be the name of her lover or something. He smirked to himself. Whoever bagged that chick had to be a lucky man. She knew every single one of the places he liked touched. “Let’s finish up, our phase shouldn’t take that much longer.”

They flew off, not noticing Rouge in a pair of bushes. She was still trying to catch her breath. They hadn’t had sex like that in ages. Hell, it felt like there was an earthquake going on while they were in each other’s arms.

Rouge turned her back. It was time to get back to the Patrol. Polar wasn’t going to be happy with her. She was supposed to help out the Patrol, not herself. But what were the odds that Negi was going to end up here of all places? She smiled to herself as she walked off towards a ship. Soldiers were already piling in. They had no chance of saving the planet anyway. Now that she had seen her beloved in action, she understood. That Bulma chick was right. Right now, Rouge felt more attracted to her husband than she ever did. It’s was kind of funny when they thought about it like that.

* * *

 

As Goku reappeared at the patrol, he discovered that he had an audience. Gohan and Trunks had come out to meet the others. Gohan gave his mother a smile, before turning to glare at Uub. Goku stepped between them. “We are going to have to have a talk with Pan.”

“What about?” Gohan asked.

“It turns out that she’s been lying about Uub being her boyfriend,” Goku sighed.

Gohan looked flabbergasted. “But…he…they had…”

Uub shook his head. “I’ve never touched her. Actually, I’ve been wanting to go out with someone else, but she keeps butting in.”

Gohan sighed. “I’ll have to have a long talk with her.”

Trunks felt very confused. He had heard about Pan sleeping with Uub from Goten. He began to wonder where Goten learned that information from. Did Bra tell him? If so, why wouldn’t Bra saying anything now?

Chichi rolled her eyes. I’m going to go find Pan. Do you know where she is, Trunks?”

Trunks felt confused, but obeyed. The last thing he wanted was to be yelled at by Chichi. “The last time I saw here, she was talking to some girls called Aura and Uva about boys, so I came out here to train with Gohan instead.” Chichi giggled then walked past everyone. Leaving the 4 men alone.

“So, how is your mom holding up?” Uub asked, but that wasn’t what he wanted to ask at all. He knew that Trunks would kill him if he knew about his feelings for Bra.

“She’s doing really well.” Trunks sighed. “I just don’t know how she can stay so calm. I guess with Bra helping her, it has taken some of the burden off of her.”

Uub nodded, happy that Bra was even around. Hopefully, he could get some time alone with her. Most of the time Pan was around…or Goten. He didn’t understand why that bum was even around. Someone like Bra didn’t need that garbage floating around. But at the same time, it didn’t look like they were dating. “Anything I can do to help?” It was best to stay on Trunks’s good side. Getting through to Vegeta would be the hardest part, but the fact that he was training had to be good enough.

“Well, we’re all going to train,” Gohan said. “That guy could appear out of nowhere and we need to be ready.”

Goku sighed. “I do wish that Goten was here. He’s going to miss out on all of the fun.”

Uub frowned. Goku just needed to give up with Goten. The bum was never going to be a fighter like them. “Why don’t we get going? I haven’t been able to train in forever.” This wasn’t a lie. It was harder to train by himself. He liked the action of sparring.

Goku’s spirits lifted. “Yeah, we need to get stronger. Gohan is going to have to be our brains if we run into the horde.”

“How strong are they?” Uub asked.

“They took out more than one planet.” Gohan sighed. “And now they have a new member.”

“That’s what Goku said.” Uub couldn’t help but wonder how strong this berserker was.

“So, you see why we’re on edge?” Gohan said, looking to Trunks and motioning for him to follow him into the ship.

Trunks got into the ship, but he couldn’t help but feel as if something was off with Uub. He’d better keep an eye on him. If he wasn’t after Pan, then who was he after? Not that he didn’t like Uub, but if he was after Bra, it would be a no go. His sister didn’t show much interest in dating in the first place and he pitied any man that tried to get between his dad and sister. He kind of wanted to see it. That would be quite the blood bath.

Chichi walked inside, seeing the group of giggling girls. Pan was sitting with what looked like two princesses. “Pan, honey, we need to talk.”

Pan jumped up and walked over to her grandmother. “Grandma, when did you get here?”

“That’s not important. I just want to know about your intentions with Uub,” Chichi said warily as Pan smiled at her. The housewife knew that look. “Are you sure that you want someone like him?”

“Of course, I do, Grandma. Uub and I can be like you and Grandpa,” Pan said with a smile.

Chichi frowned, then grabbed Pan’s shoulders. “Dear, I don’t know if you can handle something like that. Marrying a fighter is not for the weak of heart. To this day, I don’t know if it was the right decision.”

“But you love Grandpa,” Pan said, feeling confused.

Chichi gave her granddaughter a sad smile. “Yes, I do love Goku…but over the years, I have been put through heartache after heartache. I wasn’t ready for it…I don’t think anyone can be made ready for the things my family has been put through. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, Grandma. Uub and I love each other. He told me so when we…” She went quiet. There was no way her grandmother wanted to know about the night she had sex with Uub.

Chichi caught Pan’s words. It was just as she suspected. Uub was lying to them, he had deflowered Pan. But now she needed to know why he lied. Was it to appease Goku? What was Uub really planning? Chichi looked over at the rest of the girls, who Pan had been hanging out with. Surely, they could find a real man for her granddaughter before it was too late. “So, what kind of boys do you girls like?”

* * *

 

Jaco sighed as he leaned against his ship. He was placed away from the action. Not that he was really complaining. He didn’t have a death wish.

So, here he was on a moon that was still close to base, but not close enough to the fighting. He had heard about it on the transmissions. He couldn’t believe that they were losing the good fight. He remembered the horde back then, but now it seemed like they were back to their old selves…along with an added strength.

Jaco groaned. He already knew that Vegeta and Cilica were stronger than they were back then. The rest had kept up with that power. He had been sure that Negi and Onuin hadn’t, but maybe he was wrong.

A scream pierced the city and the alien jerked forward. “Thief!” A woman shouted.

Jaco began to follow the sound, coming across the criminal in seconds. The person was clutching some alcohol to him as he weaved through a busy street. Jaco fired a blast, hitting the man in the leg, making him fall over. “You are under arrest!” Jaco started. “Anything you say will be used in a…Goten?” He couldn’t believe it. The person stealing out here was Goku’s son? That seemed impossible.

Goten looked up at Jaco in fear. “Look, I don’t want any trouble.”

Jaco sighed. “You know that I have to take you in.” Jaco crossed his arms while getting out some handcuffs.

Goten sighed. “Can you not tell my parents about this?” The young man seemed worried.

“You should have thought about that before you stole something.” He cuffed the half-saiyan. He was looking over the boy’s clothes. Goten looked so beaten up. How long had he been stealing things to get by? “I believe they are at the base. So, you’ll see them anyway when we get there.”

Goten lowered his head in defeat. “If you must.” He let himself be led to Jaco’s ship, where he was tossed in the back. There were a couple of other criminals in there. Some were staring at him like he was going to be their new toy. Goten only grinned darkly at them, making them back off. No one was going to push him around. These were just lowly beings. They were nothing compared to him.

The ship began to fly off, making Goten chuckle. Phase one of his plan was now complete.

To Be Continued…


	27. Chapter 27

Polar paced as the news came back. Almost all of the planets that he tried to protect had been seized. How was this even possible? He knew that Vegeta could make some interesting plans, but he had never seen anything on this scale before.

Goku, Gohan, and Trunks came in with a new face. This must have been a friend of theirs. The frost demon didn’t mind. The boy looked strong and they did need more help.

Uub walked over to Bra. “How is everything going?” He asked, hoping she would answer.

Bra didn’t look up from the screen she was looking at. The casualties were going up. Part of her felt impressed that her father had pulled something like this off. It looked like he wasn’t the bum she thought he was. If only she could tell him the truth.

Uub sighed, then noticed that Trunks was looking at him. He knew that he needed to remain calm. The last thing he wanted for was for her family to reject him.

Bulma smiled. “It looks like Jaco is back.” She knew that the alien had to have a reason to return. “Maybe he’s heard something.”

Polar nodded. Jaco may have been incompetent, but if he wouldn’t have left his post unless there was a reason.

So, the frost demon left the control room, followed by all of his companions. They could see that Jaco’s ship was being cleared out with fugitives. Jaco turned to Polar. “I got a real good haul this time.”

“It looks like it.” Polar kept his eyes on each person that exited. For some reason, they all looked terrified. But that didn’t make any sense. He was about to ask Jaco some more questions, when the small alien turned to Goku.

“You don’t need to worry about Goten anymore. I found him.” Jaco said with pride.

Goku’s eyes lit up. “Really, where is he?” The saiyan asked as a soldier pulled his son out from the back of the ship. As soon as his eyes landed on his son, Goku’s stomach dropped. His clothing was like rags and it looked like there was some kind of cheap oil in his hair.

Trunks couldn’t believe his eyes. Goten looked so banged up. What had happened in space? He looked over at Gohan, finding the man looking very guilty. Uub on the other hand, looked smug. While Trunks wanted to be angry with Goten, his secret may have been a cry for help.

Goku walked forward, ready to embrace his son, but Bra beat him there. It was kind of confusing. “When was the last time you ate something?” Bra asked, she looked like she was about to cry.

Goten sighed. “About two weeks ago.” He felt kind of bad about her crying, especially since he was lying to her. But he couldn’t help it. “Jaco said I could have something after they put me in holding.”

Bra stomped her foot down. “What did you do?!” She was kind afraid. Did he fall back into his drug habit while he was out in space?

“I…” Goten looked down at her nervously. “I stole some alcohol from a vender.” He reeled back slightly as she smacked him. He didn’t say anything. He deserved that for lying to her.

Jaco sighed. “He’ll have to be in lock up for a few days.”

Goku rolled his eyes. “You could have just sent out a Ki signal. It would have told me if you were close.” Really, how did his son not know this?

“Oh, I didn’t think of that.” Goten made himself look real sheepish, but then noticed Uub was standing next to Trunks. “When did he get here?” He figured that Gohan would have killed him when he found out about Uub shacking up with Pan. Why was Uub walking around without a single mark on him?

Uub crossed his arms, glaring at Goten. “So, you thought you would try and throw me under the bus.” His hatred of the half-saiyan was boiling to the surface.

Goten only laughed. “What? Didn’t you get your dick wet enough with Pan?” Uub punched him in the jaw, only for Goten to stay in place. He smirked at Uub as he spit out some blood. “What? Did I bring up something unpleasant for you?” Uub stopped and blinked at him. “You look like someone that’s seen a ghost or something.” The half-blood laughed, then crossed his arms over his chest while slouching his back. He was grateful that Jaco hadn’t put any cuffs on him.

“Like I would be scared of a bum like you?” Uub snapped. He didn’t like this attitude that Goten was giving him.

Goten’s eyes narrowed. “You dare to stand there and insult me!” His eyes flashed as he glared at his father’s apprentice.

“You’ve already insulted me, sucks when someone returns the favor.” Uub smirked, only to get a punch in the face. Uub wasn’t expecting the raw power behind that punch as was flung into a nearby wall. Blood dribbled out of his mouth as he slid down the wall.

Goten felt his body starting to shake, then closed his eyes. This wasn’t the time to be going berserk and he knew it. His master would be angry with him if he was caught. He took a deep breath as Bra came closer. He let her scent in, allowing the soothing aroma to calm his rage.

“Goten, stop it!” Gohan stared at his brother. Something was very off, but that probably had to do with what his brother just experienced. What had Goten been doing out in space? His brother’s Ki was off the charts.

Goku, on the other hand, was impressed. When did Goten get this strong? Did his son gain an appreciation for fighting while he was gone?

Bra looked up and finally it clicked. Those eyes that had been glaring at Uub, were the same ones she saw the resort. A dark memory came back to her and she was certain of it. Goten was the berserker. She didn’t say anything though. She needed to be sure of it. She was already coming up with some plan in her head. Bra had to get Goten alone. Then she could get it out of him.

Uub’s eyes burned as he noticed how Bra was looking at Goten. “Let’s just let this asshole go to his cell.” Uub pulled himself up before going to grab Bra’s arm, but Goten snarled. Uub wondered where that came from, but as he looked at the half-blood, he couldn’t help but feel a chill go down his spine. Those eyes were open again, and in those eyes there was something sinister staring back at him.

Trunks moved forward and grabbed onto Uub. “Let’s let the traitor go off to his cell. Then he can think about what he’s done while he cools down.” Goten still wasn’t off the hook for turning him into his mother and grandpa. But at the same time, Trunks was quite confused about Goten’s behavior…that and he didn’t like how his sister had greeted his best friend.

“Traitor?” Goten pondered if Trunks knew why he was really here. The last thing anyone needed to know was his connections to the horde and Frieza. Not that the purple lizard mattered, but the outcome of this could hurt Vegeta and the others. He wasn’t going to disappoint his Master.

“Come on, Goten, I know about the paperwork.” Trunks growled.

Goten relaxed. “It was bound to come out sooner or later.” He could see that Trunks didn’t like his answer and lunged forward, only for Gohan to hold him back.

Gohan sighed. “Let’s go, Trunks is right.” He looked at his brother, this wasn’t like Goten at all. “You need some time to think all of this over.”

The other’s left, but Bra and Goku stayed. Goku stared at his son, then sighed. “Why do you do these things?”

Goten rolled his eyes. “Like you really care.” He didn’t want to be judged by the one called Kakarot.

Goku tensed up. “Of course, I care.” Where did Goten get an idea like that?

Goten only laughed. “Just go and train your prefect apprentice. I bet that Gohan and Trunks want to join you.” He smirked darkly at his father.

Goku stared at his son in shock. Where had he seen that smirk before? That look combined with the stance his son was in, was strangely familiar. “You know, that attitude of yours isn’t going to help you. I suggest that you think long and hard about your future.”

His father was going to storm off, but Goten had to have the last word. “You mean like you never did.” Goten chuckled as he taunted Kakarot.

Goku froze. “You have a lot to think about. Once you have come to your senses, we’ll discuss your future. Don’t act all high and mighty just because you’ve been out stealing liquor from people.” Then continued to walk off. He didn’t have to take this. Not after he had been so worried. He should have known better. Goten was still the selfish person he had always been. He wouldn’t talk to Goten until the boy apologized to Uub and Trunks. He did wonder why Bra was sticking behind. Maybe she could get through to him, at least he hoped so.

* * *

 

Bra sighed, but walked with the patrol to Goten’s cell. They were left alone. Goten wasn’t seen as a threat. “So, spill.”

“What do you mean?” Goten said, but he could see that she already knew everything.

She looked around, checking if anyone else was there. “Goten…are you the berserker?”

He laughed. “Why would you ask that?”

She placed her hands on the bars. “Goten…I know you…your eyes…they’re the same as his.”

“So, what are you going to do about that?” He didn’t know what he would do if he was discovered by the patrol. He still had a job to do and his mission would be a failure if he was revealed.

Bra sighed. “Nothing. I just want to know why?”

Goten moved against the wall of the cell. He placed his hands on hers. “I think you know why.”

Then she did something he wasn’t expecting. She smiled up at him. “Is my dad okay?”

Goten smiled. “Yes. You’ve got to see him, Bra. Your dad is amazing.”

She was surprised by Goten’s praise. “I wish I could, but that’s impossible.”

“I’m going to get out of here. Once I do that, I will return to the horde.” He looked around the cell. It looked like it was made of some pretty durable material.

“You sound...happier.” Bra said, looking up at him. She had never seen him so confident about anything…it was so refreshing.

“They understand me. I belong with them.” Goten admitted. He looked back over at Bra. “It’s like having more than one of you around.”

She smiled at him. “How so?” She wanted to know as much as she could about her father’s friends.

“Well, Uncle Raditz and Turles are always supportive of everything I do. Negi and Onuin can be jerks, but once you get to know them, they’re really funny. Your Uncle Tarble is so smart, as is Cilica. Then Mata is like a better version of my mom. She’s always so encouraging of what I want.” Goten could just go on and on. “And my Master, he’s taught me so much. I don’t know how I could ever repay him.”

Bra giggled. “You’re master, so you have a teacher?”

Goten nodded. “I’ve learned so much from them and I’m not even done yet.”

“Then why did you get caught?” She wondered.

Goten looked like he didn’t want to talk about that, but he answered her anyway. “It’s a secret.”

“So, it’s a mission?” Bra wished that she could just sit down next to him and talk.

“You’re as smart as ever. You would really fit in with us.” Goten said, excitedly, then calmed. “Too bad you already have one. What do you know about the horde?”

She sighed. “I don’t know much about them, but I do know about their families. I swear that Onuin’s daughter is a real piece of work.”

“Boy crazy, is she?” Goten laughed.

“Don’t you remember?” She giggled.

Goten turned red. “She was with that group?” He cringed. “Don’t tell me she was the one staring at my butt.”

Bra laughed. “How did you know? She still hasn’t shut up about it.”

Goten rolled his eyes. “Typical females, looking at me like a piece of meat.”

Bra sighed. “Yeah, says the “Playboy”.” She made air quotes over her word.

Goten chuckled. “I wasn’t the one that started that rumor. People just got the wrong idea.” He moved over to his bed and sat down.

“That’s what you get for being a nice guy.” Bra said, then became serious. “Goten…did you try any…”

“No.” He smiled at her. “I may have cleared planets, but I’ve stayed clean of those.” He felt warm as she smiled at him. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

The door to the jail opened and a small child walked in. Bra was ready to usher him out, but the tiny frost demon walked forward. “You look strong, Mister.”

Goten chuckled as he leaned down. “Now who might you be?”

“I Flambee.” The small boy said. “Do you think you could make me as strong as you?” The boy asked excitedly.

Goten was preparing to turn the boy down, until he saw a small saiyan tail coming from his back. This had to be Cilica’s boy. “I can’t do that right now, but when I finish up my mission, I’ll make sure to teach you.”

“Really!” The child said.

Goten reached through the bars, putting his hand on the child’s head. “I’ll bring your mom back too. She’s helping me on my mission.”

Flambee smiled big at him. “I miss mommy, but if she working, I’ll be good boy and wait.”

Goten grinned. “Just remember to brush your teeth every night. I don’t think she would be happy to come home to bad breath.”

The small frost demon saiyan hybrid gave him a small salute. “I’ll do it, Master.” With that the small child ran off, leaving him alone with Bra.

Bra giggled. “You know, you’re going to be a good father one of these days.”

Goten sighed. “And who would be my mate?” He looked over at her, going red in the process.

The princess also turned red. “I don’t know…but my remark still stands.” Bra sighed, she needed to change the subject. “You said you need a way out?” She looked over the cell.

“Yeah. I can’t just break the bars. That will cause too much of a stir than if I found an easier way. I can’t wait too long either as I don’t think that my father will take an eye off of me after that.”

Bra nodded. “Leave it to me.”

Goten shook his head. “Don’t get involved. If you get caught…”

She looked over at him. “I’m not going to let them try and ruin you again.” Goten tensed up seeing the fear in her eyes. “You finally look alive…I can’t stand by and do nothing.” Before he could say anything else, she stormed off, leaving him to lean fall against the hard bed.

Goten sighed, then smiled. Bra would really fit in with the horde.

* * *

 

Uub paced as he waited for Bra to exit the jail. He was going to talk to her, but she walked past him without a glance. He sighed. “Bra.”

Bra stopped and looked back at Uub. “Oh, Uub, I didn’t notice that you were there.”

Uub gave her a smile. “I was just wondering if you would like to…”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything right now. I have to go back to helping my mother.” Bra said. Why was he even here? “I think Pan is in the community room with some of the other family members.” She walked off before he could say anything else to her. She had a puzzle to figure out. She needed to get Goten out of here and she would do just that.

Uub grumbled to himself. She had been in that jail with Goten for over an hour, but she couldn’t give him two minutes? This wasn’t fair. Goten was nothing but a punk. A plan started to form in his head. He had to get Bra to see what kind of man Goten really was. He bet he could find a chick that would get that playboy excited, then Bra would be his.

* * *

 

The horde returned to base. Everything had gone as planned. “Is the boy in the patrol?” Negi asked.

Vegeta smirked. “He was arrested for theft. They have no clue about his true identity.”

“So now we wait.” Tarble said. “Shall I prepare the serum?”

Cilica giggled. “Lord Frieza is going to want to know what’s going on.”

Turles and Raditz looked at each other before Turles spoke. “I doubt that he will mind. Frieza wanted to get inside of the patrol.”

Vegeta chuckled, his apprentice was surpassing his expectations. Going into the patrol to pull this off seemed impossible, but the half-blood had gotten in without a problem. It was a good thing that he kept that horrible outfit. It did come in handy.

Mata leaned back in her chair, looking over at her brother. “You look like you’re in a good mood.”

Negi let out a sigh, as he leaned into the table. He still felt great. “Believe me, I am.”

Onuin looked down at him. “Where the hell did you run off to earlier? I thought that chick would have been easy to kill.”

Negi smirked. “She had something else on her mind.”

Mata rolled her eyes. “You ran off to get laid, while the rest of us were fighting?”

“Hey! I needed that!” Negi growled. “I’ve been pent up in a tank for how long?”

Mata and Cilica rolled their eyes. Vegeta was going to tell him off, when Raditz chuckled. “You should have seen the bomb squad member that I got into bed with.”

Turles sighed. “One of these days you’ll stop thinking with your dick.”

Raditz smirked. “Doubt it, little brother.”

Turles looked down at Mata, who looked disgusted. “We can always send them to the scraper.”

She smiled up at him. “There is that.” Mata giggled.

Negi cringed, while Raditz just lit up. “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

“Freak.” Cilica said.

Raditz laughed. “Hey, no pain, no gain.”

“That only works when you’ve been training.” Tarble said, facepalming.

Vegeta sighed. “Enough. There are more important things for us to focus on than Negi and Raditz’s sexual pursuits.”

Cilica nodded. “We know that Goten’s father is at the Patrol.”

“So, Kakarot is running around with that group of idiots?” Raditz grumbled.

“Not all of them are idiots.” Cilica said.

Mata giggled. “You mean detective Polar?”

Cilica jumped. “No…that’s not what I meant.” She turned red. It wouldn’t matter anyway. It had been so long and Polar had to have moved on with someone else. She bet he was married with children.

Onuin sighed. He didn’t know what his sister saw in that frost demon, when she had been betrothed to Prince Vegeta since they were born. “Why don’t you look at what’s in front of you instead of out on the other side.” Vegeta and Cilica rolled their eyes.

“He’s like my brother.”

“She’s like my sister.” The two of them said at the same time.

The rest of the horde laughed. “You just can’t win on that Onuin, so just give up.” Mata said.

“But Turles was like a brother to you.” Onuin grumbled.

Turles sighed. “That’s different and you know it.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes once more as did Cilica. He had no problem with her liking the frost demon. If she could use that to their advantage, then he would encourage her. Besides, he still couldn’t get over the blue haired woman. She appeared in his dream, telling him her name. He was really starting to wonder if he did know a woman whose name started with a B.

To Be Continued…


	28. Chapter 28

Uub knew exactly where to start. He headed towards the community room like Bra had said. While he didn’t want to see Pan, he knew that it was the only way to get one of the girls to follow him to Goten. He was sure that one of them had to catch his eye.

As soon as he walked in, he was bombarded. How many people were in here? There had to be at least a hundred. As he walked about the room, he finally found Chichi sitting next to Pan and two other girls. A third joined them and it looked like they were talking about boys. This was the perfect chance.

Uub approached with caution. The last thing he wanted was for Pan to think that he was here for her. But Chichi saw him first. “Uub, come over here. These girls want to meet you.”

Uub walked over, turning red. He didn’t want to be the center of attention. As he looked over the girls, he pondered what assets Goten wanted in a chick. He should have asked Trunks, but knowing Goten, he probably went after anything with breasts.

“So, how did you meet Pan?” Aura asked, wanting to know how the couple came together.

“Umm…she’s the granddaughter of my teacher…” He felt embarrassed, mainly because their eyes were going everywhere. How did Goten do any of this?

The girls giggled, but kept talking over him. He couldn’t get any other words out. He looked over at Pan, to find her staring at him. The look in her eyes scared him. It was daring him to walk away from her. Uub really didn’t want to find out what would happen if he tried to.

Meanwhile, Chichi was holding him there. He could feel her fingernails digging into his skin. It seemed that she didn’t believe his lie from earlier.

So, here he was stuck with them until someone came to his rescue.

* * *

 

Bra returned to the main room with Polar and her mother. Both of them were busy, but that was a good thing. She didn’t think they would be happy if they knew what she was planning to do. Breaking someone out of the patrol was bound to get her how many years behind bars…that was if she was caught.

But she couldn’t think about that. All she could think about was Goten’s mission. She wondered what the details were. If he was at the patrol, there had to be some kind of data that he was looking to get. She sighed, but made it look like she was bored with her paperwork. She began to wonder if there was more to this than meets the eye. What if the patrol as up to something?

Bra began to ponder why the target had been the galactic prince. Polar said that it had to be ordered by Frieza to cause havoc, but what if that wasn’t it? The horde alone took responsibility for the killing, even if they did say that anyone that stood against Frieza would die. There had to be a greater meaning there.

“Bra? Are you alright?” Bulma asked. She could see that her daughter was out of it. She was just a teenager. Bra did deserve a break. “Why don’t you go and spend some time with the others?”

Bra was going to tell her mother no, but knew better than to argue. So, she gave her mother a smile. “Is Bercu back?”

Polar sighed. “No, I sent her to a different planet. Her skills will be needed there.”

Bra nodded. “I guess I’ll go find a book to read then.” She just needed to clear her mind. If she started reading, she knew that an idea would come to her.

As she exited the room, she knew that she could have gone to hang out with Pan, but she didn’t feel like it. Every second of every day, it felt like they were being pulled apart. Pan was going in one direction, while Bra was headed in another. She felt kind of confused when it started happening, but over time, she realized that it had to happen. Hell, since she was 13, she started seeing Pan less and less. The youngest Son had gone so boy crazy over Uub, while Bra didn’t feel that way about any guy.

Goten came to mind for a second, but she pushed that thought away. He was like her brother…at least she was telling herself that. There was no way that Goten would like her as more than a friend. Even if she did help him with his drug problem.

Not that she wanted anything from him. Goten was a nice guy that just got twisted around when he was younger. He had become one of her most trusted friends; that was all. Nothing more.

“Oh, Bra, I almost didn’t see you,” Jaco said with a smile. She didn’t even see him in the hall. Where was she walking to? As she looked around, she noticed that she was headed towards the jail.

“I’m sorry, Jaco. I just was trying to clear my head.” Her eyes looked around and she noticed something on Jaco’s belt. He had some keys on there. She wondered where he was working now. “Are you off to the jail?” She asked.

“How did you know?” Jaco grinned. “It’s my turn to look over the fugitives. It’s boring, but someone has to do it.”

Bra thought that over, she could use this. “Do you need any company?” she asked.

“No.” Jaco laughed, trying to hide a small screen on him. It looked like he was going to be watching some space sitcom.

Bra thought over what she was going to say before it came to her. The perfect plan to get those keys was right in front of her. “You have to be hungry. Let me at least get you something from the mess hall.” She already knew what kind of food that the alien needed anyway.

Jaco smiled at that. “I could go for something.” He didn’t see any harm in her getting him some food. “You can get Goten something too. I don’t think that we’ve brought him anything.”

Bra nodded, then ran off. She didn’t head towards the mess hall though. She began towards the ship. Bra knew that her brother and Gohan were there, so she would have to be fast. Her mother took pills that helped her sleep from time to time. One of those should knock out Jaco long enough to nab those keys.

As soon as she was on the ship, she heard the hum of the gravity room cease. Bra mentally cursed, but this could be a good thing. They were probably just going to get something to eat… she hoped. So, instead Bra went to her bag. She was taking a book out as Gohan and Trunks came out. She gave her brother a nod as she sat down.

“Are you taking a break from the search?” Trunks said.

Bra sighed. “Yeah, I just need a second to myself.”

“Pan’s in the community room,” Gohan said with a smile. “She’s really getting along with the others. I bet they would like to get to know you.”

Bra dove into her book. “I don’t want to dive into that chaos right now. It will just distract me.”

Gohan frowned as did Trunks. “It wouldn’t hurt for you to get to know more people,” her brother said.

Bra didn’t look at him. “I’ve been busy helping mom look for dad. I’m not here to make friends.”

Trunks shrugged at Gohan and the older half-blood sighed. “Well, if you change your mind, all of us are going to be in the community room. Even your mom is going to take a break.”

Bra nodded, but kept her eyes down as they left. She waited a good five minutes before she started to move around. She found the pill bottle with ease, then grabbed two from it. One would be enough, but she needed to make sure that Jaco didn’t wake up before Goten was gone.

Quickly, she pocketed the pills, while grabbing her book. She could make it look like she was finding a different part of the building to read at.

Bra walked into the mess hall, noting how crazy it was. Soldiers stared at her as she ordered some dairy items for Jaco and a normal platter for Goten. She wasn’t sure if Goten would even like the food, but she had to start somewhere. She knew that he had lied to her about eating, but this was part of the charade.

She kept her wits about her as she left the mess hall. Her book was under her arm as she carried two trays. Her heart stopped as she saw Goku walking through the hall. He was heading to the mess hall. It looked like he was stretching.

“Oh, Bra. I didn’t think you would be out here.” Goku looked down. “What’s with the food?” he asked, but already knew the answer. He was wondering if Bra had been able to get to Goten.

“Jaco’s looking over the jail and I’m getting him lunch…along with Goten,” she said.

Goku sighed. “Has he said anything about what happened?” It was sad that he had to ask Bra these questions, but it wasn’t like Goten would talk to him. Also, Goku was confused. Why did his son believe that they didn’t care about him? Nothing like this ever came up. If Goten wasn’t satisfied, why didn’t he say anything? None of this made sense.

“He hasn’t really said much.” She turned red. Goku would probably have a heart attack if he knew the truth about his son. “He’s been asking me questions about what’s going on here though.”

Goku watched Bra’s face, then realized what was going on. As much as he liked the girl, he didn’t want his son to break her heart. With all of his sleeping around, Bra was bound to get some kind of disease, but as Goku was about to warn her, another idea came to him. If Bra was around and from the look of it, Goten listened to her…then maybe she would be the one to help him kick that habit. “Just be careful.”

Bra nodded. “I got to run. I bet that Goten’s starving. It has been awhile since he ate.”

Goku cringed. “I can’t imagine going that long without a meal.” He stared down at the tray. It still looked like nothing. “How about I grab him another tray for you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Bra said. “Besides, if he eats too much, too fast it will all come up.”

Goku sighed. It looked like he couldn’t do anything to help his son. “Just tell him that I said hi.” He just really wanted to pick his son’s mind and find out what was wrong.

Bra smiled. “I can do that.” With that, she walked away. She had a plan and she needed to stick with it or else Goten would never make it back to the horde.

Bra worked quickly, putting the drugs into Jaco’s cheese before walking into the room. She saw Goten’s eyes on her. She gave him a smile as she passed him a tray through a slot. He looked down at the food and cringed. She wanted to laugh. What kind of food was he getting with the horde? As she looked over his plate, she noticed that it was mostly bread. “Just live with it,” she giggled as he grumbled.

Before he could say anything, she walked over to Jaco. “Here it is.” She looked over to see what he was watching. It looked like some kind of soap opera.

“No, Maria, you want John-Pablo. Don’t fall for Stephano’s plan!” Jaco shouted at the screen.

Bra wanted to laugh. “What the hell are you watching?” she asked.

Jaco jumped, not realizing that she was there. “Don’t do that! You scared the crap out of me!”

Bra giggled. “How else was I supposed to tell you? You looked really engrossed in that show.” She pushed the tray in his face.

“Oh, thank you.” Jaco began to eat in front of her. “I haven’t had some good food in ages.”

“This is good food?” Goten sneered from his cell.

“For somebody that was without food for weeks, you don’t need to be complaining,” Jaco said with his mouth full.

Bra wanted to laugh. There was no way that Jaco could be threatening. The patrolman would have backed off if he knew who Goten really was. “Just ignore him. He’s probably got a headache.”

Goten took a bite of the sandwich that she brought. He felt sick. What was this? He opened it up and found nothing but lettuce and cabbage. At least, he thought that’s what it was. Where was the meat? “Do they have any bacon?”

Bra giggled. “I thought I got a sub. There should be some meat on there.”

Goten shook his head, but Jaco answered. “They keep that ration for the soldiers, mainly the ones going to the front lines.”

Bra gave Goten a smile. “I’ll see if I can get you something from the ship.”

Goten smirked. “Anything is better than this.”

Jaco rolled his eyes. “Get a room.”

Goten and Bra turned red. “What does that mean?!” they both said at the same time.

Jaco yawned. “You act like a married couple.” He leaned against the desk as he finished another piece of cheese. He was really tired.

“We do not!” Bra said, going redder.

“Likely story…” Jaco felt his eyes close as he started to snore. The desk felt really comfortable for some reason.

Goten gave Bra a puzzled look. “Is he narcoleptic or something?” If the alien fell asleep so easily, then his break out would be a lot easier.

Bra gave Goten a smile. “It is if he’s been drugged.” She walked forward, grabbing his keys from his belt. Jaco was down for the count, so they came off with ease. She passed them to Goten through the bars. “I told you I would find you a way out of here.”

Goten stared at her confident gaze with a dumbfounded look on his face. He really was impressed. Quickly, he messed with the lock, finding the key he needed. He removed it from the set and placed it in his pocket. “I’ll have to use it tonight.” The patrol had to be crawling with agents right now and he couldn’t risk getting caught once more.

“Everyone will be in the community room around 6 or 7. That will be your best bet,” Bra explained.

Goten nodded. He was so ecstatic right now. His plan was going to work, there was no questioning it. If she wasn’t his friend, he could have kissed her… he blushed at the thought, then shook his head. He didn’t need to be thinking about such things. “Good to know.” He figured that he should at least issue her a warning now. The last thing he wanted was for her to be caught in the cross fire.

Goten pulled a small drive from his pocket. She looked at it, wondering what he planned to do with it. “Don’t tell me.”

“I have to. Just remember to stay away from the community room. I don’t want you inhaling anything.” He said, then finished before she could ask. “It’s not deadly. I’m just going to set off enough gas to knock them out. Then I have to install this into the mainframe,” Goten explained.

“What will it do?” She still had her suspicions from earlier.

“There’s something going on behind the scenes, not just with Frieza either. Uncle Turles and I want to figure that out,” Goten said, confirming her doubts. He could see that she was worried. “Don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“What if something happens to you?” Bra asked, staring up at him.

He smirked down at her. “I’ll be fine. Just keep yourself safe…okay?”

She gave him a nod. Bra knew she needed to leave. Goten’s plan would be carried out in a couple of hours.

As she walked out, she looked back at him. “See if you can get Jaco to eat the rest of that cheese. He should wake up in about an hour or two. There’s still some sleeping pills in there.”

Goten went back to his bed. “Will do.” As she walked out, he mentally smacked himself. The last thing he needed to be looking at was Bra’s ass.

He put the drive back in his pocket. She really was something. If only he could take her with him…no that would be silly. Bra wouldn’t want to come with him…would she?

* * *

 

Bulma smiled as she walked into the community room. She expected to find Bra in there, but it looked like her daughter had gone to the ship to read. She figured that she could talk with Chichi. It seemed that Goku’s wife was speaking with the group of princesses.

As Bulma got closer, she heard something odd come from the woman. Chichi turned to Uub. “What do you plan to do with your life? Fighting can’t be your only goal.”

Uub sputtered, looking for an exit. Bulma could see his panic and decided to free the boy of it. “Chichi have you seen Goten? Jaco found him.”

Chichi shook her head. “No one told me. Where is he at?” She wondered where her baby boy was. This wasn’t going to look good to any of these girls. If Goten married into royalty, then she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

“He’s in lock up for stealing.” Bulma sighed, but motioned for Uub to get out of there. He gave her a thankful look before he dashed away.

Chichi sighed. “Where did I go wrong?”

Bulma wondered what Chichi meant by that. Sure, Goten was a playboy and problem child, but forcing him to change would do nothing. “I think he needs a gentle touch for that. Forcing him will get him nowhere.” Bulma smiled as she thought of her husband. “I never would have gotten Vegeta if he didn’t want to change.”

Chichi rolled her eyes. “And how long did it take for you to marry him?”

Bulma giggled, not taking that as an insult. “Until he was ready.” She thought back to her wedding. “Trunks was so cute in his little tux. My mother was gushing about him for weeks.”

Chichi sighed. “Yes, but Trunks didn’t have a proper father for over a year.”

“I don’t see how that matters,” Bulma said. “Vegeta loves Trunks now, the same goes for Bra. Vegeta turned out to be a great father and husband in the end. Besides, Trunks will be the CEO of my company when I go. He has more than most will ever have.”

Aura giggled. “I don’t know. Who would want to marry a bastard?”

Bulma gave the group a dark smile. “Someone with actual class.” She turned her back on the group, understanding why Bra had wanted to stay away from them.

Chichi walked away from the group of princesses with her. “Is everyone out here crazy?”

“I don’t know, but I really want my husband right now. It would be fun to watch him scare that girl half to death.”

“Let’s not think about that,” Chichi said. “Let’s go get something to drink. I want to ask you about something.”

“What do you need to know?” Bulma asked.

“It regards Uub and his intentions with your daughter and Pan.”

To Be Continued…


	29. Chapter 29

The hour turned and Goten chuckled to himself. Jaco was still out like a light. It was time for him to put his plan into motion.

Quickly, he began to unlock his cell, sneaking out as the alien remained asleep. Those pills had to have been stronger than Bra realized. Not that Goten was going to complain about that. None of this would have been possible without her.

Goten walked down a corridor of the jail. He knew that the other prisoners had to have heard what he had been saying to Bra. He smirked as he sent a Ki blast through the bars, slitting their throats open before burning them. No one would be around to snitch on Bra. He was certain of that.

He moved out of the room, smirking to himself as he made his way down the hall. It was empty, just as Bra had said it would be. He could hear a commotion coming from one door, and realized that had to be the community room. He lowered his Ki, while sensing for his father and brother. Both were mingling in there.

He could sense Trunks, talking to someone on the inside. Bra was nowhere in sight. She had to be on the ship in the hanger, safe from his plans.

Goten continued down the hall, staying close to the walls as he figured out the pattern that was going on. He knew that the mainframe had be around here somewhere. Turles said something about it being locked behind a code. Goten wasn’t sure, but he figured that there had to be a way to figure it out. The patrol wasn’t known for their brains.

He noted that there were a lot of caution signs around him. He had to be close. There was a massive security system placed up ahead. He was sure of it.

He heard some talking and jumped up quickly, holding himself against the ceiling. He stared down at the soldiers passed, grinning at how stupid they were. If they had any brains or ability at all, they would have known that he was there. Of course, he was trained by the best, so he couldn’t fault them for that. Not everyone got to be taught by the horde, let alone join them.

As he jumped back down, he focused on the object at hand. The mainframe had to be close. There was no mistaking it. The caution signs gave way to directional ones. How dumb were these people? If it was supposed to be a secret, why highlight it?

Goten wanted to laugh, but knew better. Maybe there was a surprise for him up ahead? Not that it would do anything to stop him. It was just an annoyance that would prolong his escape. The last thing he needed was to get caught before he got to the system. As much as he mocked his father, Goten knew that stopping Son Goku would be a difficult task. It was better to knock them out before leaving this idiotic place.

The half-blood reached a door with everything that he needed. The door basically screamed mainframe. Goten chuckled as he looked at the lock. There was a keypad, which was to be expected.

Goten inspected the door. There had to be a way around the keypad and he was just in luck. There was a ventilation system. He jumped up, pulling off the vent before climbing inside. He put the cover back on, just as another group of soldiers went by.

Goten rolled his eyes. Was this really all they had? He began to climb through the vent, getting to his destination. He sighed. He figured that there would be some kind of fancy security system. It was just like he had seen in the movies back on Earth. Lasers were everywhere, but there were gaps in them. He was going to have to be very careful as he flew around the room.

Slowly, he pushed himself into the room, narrowly dodging each laser as he went. This meant that he had to move his body into some very uncomfortable positions, but he could deal with that. His training had taught him how do deal with such things. Learning from an assassin and thief had its advantages.

As he finally made it to the main computer, he sighed. All of this was pointless. The least they could have done was make this exciting for him. But then again, that would have led to getting caught and the last thing he needed was to be interrogated. He wouldn’t betray his horde. His loyalty and pride were bound to Vegeta and the others.

Goten leaned forward and began to type at the computer in front of him. They could have at least put a password lock on it, but no. It was free for him to do what he wished. He pushed a couple of buttons, messing with the oxygen tanks. All he had to do was lower it in the community room, along with sending in some gas from a couple of ducts. It would make everyone pass out while he finished the next step.

The half-blood pushed in the drive that Turles gave him. He said that Raditz had worked pretty hard on the hardware, while Turles wrote the software. He watched as the files began to download into the mainframe. At the same time, he turned on the security cameras. Watching as everyone was getting woozy.

Each person fell slowly, there was a bit of confusion, but Goten waited until he could see his father and brother fall over. Both were out, making the half-blood grin. This was all going according to plan.

Goten heard a small beeping, telling him that the virus had been downloaded. He pulled out the drive just as the computer in front of him began to smoke.

He flew upward, not caring anymore if he set the alarms off. Let the remaining soldiers come. He needed a blood bath to quench his thirst. It would be a nice present for his family to discover when he woke up. The half-blood could hardly wait.

Soldiers ran into the room, with their blasters aims at him. Goten laughed, as he let his true self emerge. Some of them backed away. “You looked so ready to shoot me down.” The half-blood zoomed down, gutting one with ease. “But your cowardice has stepped in. How pitiful.” Screams filled the room as he gave into his twisted form of fun. Blood filled the space, splattering on the walls and screens. Goten chucked the bodies into one pile, letting the limbs go in a separate direction as he walked out of the room. He sneered down at the corpses. “That, was it? You really are pathetic.”

Once he was back in the hall, he found it empty. He grinned to himself. He had a ship to steal; after he messed with some wiring that is.

* * *

 

Bra sat inside of the ship. She was trying to read, but couldn’t concentrate. All she could think about was what was going on outside. Looking over at the clock, she knew that Goten must have started his plan. She was going to stay hidden. No one needed to know about her involvement.

She jumped in her seat as the hatch to the ship opened. Her eyes stared at the door, hoping to see the berserker…only to find Uub coming in. At first, she watched as he made himself something to drink. He looked like he was out of breath. Had he been running and if he was, what was it from? She hoped that Goten hadn’t been caught.

Uub turned around as he took a drink, finding the object of his affection sitting there. Now was the perfect chance for her to get to know him. “I thought you would be with the others,” he said.

Bra shook her head. “No…It’s too hard to read in that mess.” That lie would work for now. “Why are you out here?” She needed to know if Goten was alright.

“Oh…I just needed to get away from the party,” Uub said, turning red. She really was beautiful. “Too many girls.” He cursed himself for bringing that up. She didn’t need to listen to him talking about other women. “I bet Goten would be in heaven.”

Bra rolled her eyes. “I doubt it.” She was so tired of that rumor.

Uub cursed himself. This wasn’t going well at all. “I just thought…”

“Goten’s more than that!” Bra snapped. “Everyone always writes him off, just because they don’t really know him.” She stood up and put her book down. She just couldn’t take it anymore.

Bra planned to exit the ship, but found that Uub wouldn’t let her by. “Can we talk about something else?” Uub asked, hopeful that she would give him at least five minutes.

“You brought Goten up, so why not talk about him?” Bra snapped.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to make you mad…” Uub really wished that he could have a rewind.

“Let me by,” Bra said, glaring at him. He was still in the way and she wasn’t liking the way he was staring at her. It was making her uncomfortable.

“Just give me a chance,” Uub pleaded. He didn’t want her to feel disgusted by him, but as each second passed, he could see her growing angry with him.

Bra had had enough. She pushed by him, noticing the look on his face changed when she had rubbed up against him. She cringed as he grabbed onto her. “Don’t touch me!” she growled.

Uub didn’t let go. If only he could explain how he felt. He guessed this was now or never. “I lik…”

An explosion rang out in the hanger, shaking the ship. Bra took the opportunity to slip out of Uub’s reach and get off the ship. She knew what was going on. There had to be soldiers out there. She hoped that Goten wasn’t in trouble.

As she reached the outside, she was met with a couple of corpses hanging off of a nearby ship. Goten was looking around for a ship. She knew that everything must have worked then. She wanted to go to him, but froze as Uub came out of the ship. He took one look at the corpses, then one at Goten. “What is he doing out here?” Uub flew forward, going over to Goku’s son.

Goten glared at Uub. He was surprised that his father’s student wasn’t in the community room with the others. He looked up and saw Bra looking down at him. He could see something on her arm. There was a red mark…Uub had tried to touch her. He growled. “Were you planning on getting freaky with her?”

Uub glared back at Goten. “You’re the only one here with a dirty mind.” He looked back at Bra. He would show her what a real man was like. “Aren’t you supposed to be in your cell?”

Goten chuckled. “Let’s just say I got a get out of jail free card.” He winked up at Bra, watching her blush. Uub didn’t seem to notice. “Are you going to do something about that?” Uub threw a punch at Goten, only for the half-blood to catch it. “You really think that that’s going to do anything? You better think long and hard before you try that again.” Goten pushed Uub back, watching the confusion on Uub’s face.

Uub glared at Goten. “So, you’re looking for a fight?” He smirked. He had always wanted to kick the half-blood’s ass.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Goten chuckled. “Unless you have a death wish.”

“Like I’m scared of a weak bum like you!” Uub shouted as he dove forward, only to be punched in the gut. He slumped forward, with his eyes going wide. Goten brought his hand down on his lower back. He could hear his bones cracking.

Uub fell to the ground, crawling to get away. It felt like his back had been broken. He stared up at Goten, finding the half-blood grinning down at him. “You should be excited.”

“Why…why…is?” Uub could barely breathe.

“That I’m going to let you live.” Goten laughed. “Be proud as you are the only survivor of the berserker.”

Uub’s eyes went wide. That couldn’t be right…Goten was too lazy for that. “That’s…impossible.”

Bra walked forward. “No…it’s the truth.” She stared at Goten before walking closer.

“Bra! Get away!” Uub called out to her, only to be struck by a Ki blast through the chest. He bled out as everything went dark.

Goten chuckled. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hit an artery. They should find him before he dies.” He looked around at the ships. “Of course, they won’t be able to fix him that fast.” All of the medical tanks would be broken from the virus. He turned to Bra. “You should come up with a story for yourself. He’s going to tell them that you knew.”

Bra shook her head. “I’m going with you.”

Goten froze in shock. He had been thinking about it, but he wasn’t sure if she would be up for it. “You want to…go to the horde?”

“I need to see my father…” Bra said. “I need to make it up to him.”

Goten sighed. “He has no memory of his past. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

Bra nodded. “Goten, please.” She moved forward, pulling on his shirt. She hated begging, but she had to get out of here. Every day here wasn’t helping her father and she knew it.

Goten smiled down at her. “I can’t say no to you.” He leaned forward quickly, picking her up over his shoulder. “Thrash around for a bit. It will make it look like I’m kidnapping you.” Bra did what he asked, which made him laugh. The two of them walked around the hanger until they found a ship.

Once they were inside, Goten let Bra down. He watched as she began to turn it on and fly it out of the hanger. “Just give me the coordinates.” She had watched her mother fly them in. It couldn’t be that hard.

Goten gave them to her, while messing with the ship’s tracker. He had it dislodged in seconds before heading back up to the front. They were out of the hanger and sitting in space. He smirked down at her. “Don’t worry about driving.” He moved over to a small pad and put in their destination. “This thing has a hyperdrive.”

“So, what does that mean?” Bra hadn’t really been on a ship with one before. At least, one that she would notice.

“We’ll be there in about an hour,” Goten said, sitting down next to her as the stars began to zoom by them. She smiled out the window. “I can’t wait for you to meet them. Trust me, Bra. You’re going to love the horde.”

* * *

 

Goku shook awake and looked around the community room. He didn’t remember much before he passed out. He pulled himself up, finding that some of the others were waking up as well. Gohan was rubbing his head, but he wasn’t the only one.

Goku turned to look at a couple of computer panels that were smoking. “What the hell is going on?” he asked.

Polar walked forward. The frost demon had a horrified look on his face. “They planned an inward attack.” That was the only thing that he could think of. “How did Turles get in here?” He wondered as he walked out of the room. Their security would have registered the spy… and Polar knew the man’s tricks.

“I don’t think it was Turles,” Bulma said. “We would have noticed if another Goku was walking around.”

Pan pulled herself off the floor with a yawn. “Where is Uub?”

Goku and Gohan looked around the room and couldn’t find him. The two looked over at Trunks. Vegeta’s son was looking around the room in panic. “Bra wasn’t in here.”

“We should go and check out the damage to the outside,” Polar said. “I’ll go check out the mainframe, why don’t you see if anything is out on the hanger. Hopefully, our target is still out there.”

Goku and Gohan nodded, walking out of the room. Trunks had come with them, while Bulma and Nappa went with Polar.

Trunks sighed. “I wonder what happened?”

“I think Polar is right. This had to be some kind of organized attack,” Gohan said, pondering who could have gotten in.

Goku stayed quiet. How did he not sense the danger? He knew that some of them had to be able to control their Ki, but he still would have noticed the disturbance.

Once the doors to the hanger opened, they came face to face with a horrible sight. There were two soldiers that had been gored on a couple of the ships antennae. Trunks felt like he was going to be sick as he walked towards the ship. He hoped that Bra was okay.

Gohan froze as they approached a body. “Dad!” Goku looked at Gohan. “It’s Uub.”

The three of them ran forward, finding the human bleeding out. Uub was panting as Goku lifted him. The pain had to have woken him up. Goku growled. He was going to murder the bastard that had done this.

“We need to get him to a medical wing or something,” Trunks said.

Uub opened his mouth to speak. “Be…Beserk…” It was all Uub could get out before passing out once more.

Goku’s eyes went wide. The berserker had been here. He growled once more as he took Uub off to the medical bay, leaving Gohan and Trunks in the hanger.

Trunks went to check out the ship, only to find Bra’s book sitting open. It looked like she had gotten up to check on something. Trunks growled. He didn’t like the looks of this at all. What if that berserker had taken his sister? He wouldn’t forgive him if he had touched her. That man would be a dead man.

Gohan growled as well. He didn’t like this at all. How had the berserker fooled them? They had all been so careful. Gohan’s eyes went wide. The jail was close to here. He ran out of the ship, towards the jail. Did the berserker go inside? What if they had brought him in that way?

Gohan ran into the jail, finding Jaco passed out against the desk. There was a foamy fluid coming from his mouth. The man had overdosed on something.

Gohan walked over to one of the cells, finding a small book on the bed. He picked it up. Maybe it was a clue. He pocketed it; there would be time to read it later. He looked over at the cells. Finding corpses in them and blood on the ground. Gohan panicked. He couldn’t tell one body from another. Was his little brother dead?

He snarled. The berserker would pay for this. Gohan stormed out of the jail and towards the medical bay. He could see Pan crying as they hooked up Uub to machines. Trunks was snarling, telling Gohan that Bra was still missing.

Goku looked up at his son. “What else?”

“Goten’s gone…I went to the jail.” Gohan looked to the side. “He’s most likely a corpse.”

Goku tensed up. He began to shake, remembering his last conversation with his son. “I…”

“The berserker had to have come in from the jail. Jaco is also dead. It looks like poison.” Gohan sighed while holding back tears. He kept trying to tell himself that this wasn’t real. That Goten wasn’t dead.

Polar walked in. He had a look of terror on his face. “Over 50 are dead.” He slammed his fists down on a table. “I should have known that they were planning something!”

Bulma was pale. “There were so many corpses in the control room. I…I lost count.”

“The jail has them too,” Gohan stated.

“It’s the work of a madman,” Nappa said.

“It gets worse,” Trunks said. He didn’t want to upset his mother, but it was better coming from him. “It looks like Bra’s been kidnapped.”

Bulma took a deep breath. “If that’s the case…she may be safe.” Everyone stared at her. “The horde listens to Vegeta. She’s their princess.”

Goku finally dropped to his knees as his mourning overtook him. He told his son that he would talk to him once he apologized…but it looked like they would never talk again. Tears fell from his eyes, staining the floor. This wasn’t fair…Did Goten die believing that he didn’t care? All he could do was hope that Goten was taken with Bra, even if that meant that his son was captured by Frieza and the horde.

* * *

 

Bra giggled as Goten smiled. The hyperdrive turned off as they arrived at their destination. She looked down at the planet. “Are we going to see Frieza?” she asked, feeling scared. She hadn’t forgotten the last time she had seen him.

Goten shook his head. “Us saiyans are in a different building.” Goten stood up as the ship began to dive through the atmosphere. “I have seen Frieza only once, so you should be good.”

Bra breathed a sigh in relief. “How do I fit in?”

Goten laughed. “Be yourself. They’re bound to like you.”

Bra giggled. “Just because you like me, doesn’t mean that they will.” She turned red as she looked away from him. That sounded better in her head.

Goten became quiet as well as he turned red. The ship was preparing to land at the dock just outside of the horde’s building. They usually only used that for missions, but he figured that this was a special circumstance. He moved to the door, he could already sense them coming out to greet him. Not thinking, Goten offered Bra his hand. She turned red, but took it anyway. She trusted him.

Slowly, they walked out of the ship. Her eyes looked over at the horde as a loud snarl thundered in front of them. She shook in fear. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.

To Be Continued…


	30. Chapter 30

Negi snapped his teeth. “Who is she?!”

The rest of the horde was glaring at the newcomer. Vegeta frowned. This wasn’t part of the plan, but something was off; there was something familiar about the girl in front of him. He just didn’t know what. “Goten, explain,” the prince snapped.

Goten sighed, he figured that something like this would happen. “Don’t worry. She’s not going to get in the way.”

“We don’t need any aliens here.” Negi turned his back on this girl. “This is for saiyans.”

Bra’s eyes narrowed. “Just because I don’t look like one, doesn’t mean that I’m not.” Her hands went on her hips. “I’ll have you know that my father is saiyan.”

The horde stared at her in confusion. “How are you saiyan with that hair?” Onuin asked.

“I got my mother’s hair…” Bra answered.

Meanwhile, Mata was looking at the girl then back at Goten. “Would this girl happen to be the one that helped you through your drug addiction?”

Goten turned red, as did Bra. “You told them about that?” she asked, feeling embarrassed as they stared at her.

Mata giggled as her nephew answered. “Well it’s the truth. You did help me.”

Bra looked away from him. “That’s because you couldn’t help yourself at the time. Besides, I couldn’t leave you like that…who knows how you would have ended up…you could be dead right now.”

Goten felt guilty. “I was only doing hallucinogens and nothing bad really happened.”

SMACK! Goten grabbed his face, rubbing the spot where she had just smacked. He was going to ask her what that was for, but as he looked at her, it seemed like she was about to cry. “And it would have gone further if I hadn’t gone after you that day!”

“Bra, I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” Goten really didn’t remember anything like that.

Vegeta cleared his throat. “As much as this arguing is amusing, I suggest that we take it inside. There are too many eyes out here.”

The rest of the horde nodded before filing into the compound. Bra was looking around herself. She was taken aback by how her father had taken charge of everyone. Goten did say that Vegeta was the leader and it was confirmed by the patrol. She was led into a mess hall, but was kind of shocked as the two females stared at her. They were giggling amongst themselves.

Goten sat next to Bra. They needed to get their stories straight, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what she had said. What had happened back then for her to say such things?

“So, Young Gun, explain,” Vegeta growled, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel at ease that the girl was here. She looked a lot like the girl from his dreams, but she was far too young for that. Maybe this girl was a daughter to that woman from his dreams? That would make sense. If he was lucky, she could lead him to the beautiful genius.

Goten sighed. “I wouldn’t have gotten out of there if it wasn’t for Bra.”

Negi laughed. “So, you were in over your head then, Ha.”

Bra crossed her arms. “That’s not what happened. The patrol was crawling with soldiers. If he broke out, it would have caused a huge scene.”

“Plus, my father was there,” Goten growled, leaning back in his seat. He put his feet on the table, just for Bra to give him a glare. He sighed, taking his feet of the table, then sat normally.

Mata and Cilica giggled at Goten’s actions. “Why would that be a problem?” Negi scoffed.

Goten snarled. “My dad can go up to Super Saiyan 3, and my brother can go to level 2. If I was caught, who knows what kind of torture I would have been subjected to?”

“That’s where I came in. Goten told me to stay out of it, but I figured out that he was the berserker pretty easily,” Bra stated.

“How did you know?” Cilica asked. The boy’s involvement wasn’t common knowledge.

“I was at the resort.” Bra turned red. “He blocked some gun fire that was going to hit me. He didn’t say anything to me that would have given himself away…but it was his eyes that told me the truth…at least when I saw him again.”

“How did his eyes do that?” Mata was on the edge of her seat.

“Because I recognized them at the Patrol.” Goten gave Bra a confused look. “When you were glaring at Uub after he punched you in the face. You had that dangerous look in your eyes.”

“That really isn’t much to go on,” Cilica said, looking between the two. There had to be more to this story.

“Well, I knew that I had seen those eyes before. I just couldn’t remember where,” Bra stated. “Now that I think about it, I can’t see why I forgot about something like that. I’ve only seen you look like that once before, but it’s something that I’ll never forget.”

Goten was really confused. “What are you talking about?”

Bra shook her head. “You really don’t remember?” She sighed. “You were pretty out of it after that.”

“Can you just spit it out?” Vegeta growled, making Bra jump.

Bra stared at her father for a couple of seconds, then sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you all about it.”

_Flashback_

Bra looked around the living room at Capsule Corp. She knew that Goten was coming over. She already knew about his drug problem at this point. She had caught him getting high more than once, but when she tried to tell Trunks about it, her brother wasn’t listening.

So, Bra kept it to herself. If no one was going to help Goten, then she would have to do it herself.

But as she looked up at the clock, she could see that he was late. She was trying to keep him from falling apart. Everyone else could be okay with letting him go, but she just couldn’t. Goten deserved better than this.

Minutes flew by into an hour and Bra suspected that Goten had gone after some drugs. She sighed, getting off of the couch. If he wasn’t going to come here, she would drag him back with force.

Her mother was at work and her father was training. Trunks was also working, so no one else could help her. It wasn’t like she couldn’t take care of herself.

Bra tried to sense Goten as she flew out of the house and towards the rest of the city. He wasn’t in a very good neighborhood. She cursed, knowing that he had gone on a drug run. “Wait until I find him,” she growled. “I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”

She landed on the bad side of town, putting her nose up at anyone that stared at her. She was better than this riffraff. Goten would get the scolding of the century when she found him.

But as she walked by a group of thugs, she couldn’t help but feel scared. Something about the way they were looking at her, made a chill go down her spine. She had had some light training from her father, but that was years ago. Bra had stopped training because it was seen as uncool by everyone else at school. Now at 13, she wished that she had continued it, then she wouldn’t have to be afraid.

“Hey, beautiful, how about you have some fun with us?” A man with a mohawk and a scraggly beard called out.

She felt ashamed. Bra was more developed than most girls her age. When it came to being cool, it gave her a leg up on everyone else…but in a place like this, she could see the dangers of growing up too quickly. “I’m busy.”

“Yeah, you can be busy with us.” One man came up behind her, grabbing her around the waist and holding her there.

Bra tried to pull away, but the man was too strong, plus she was terrified. What was going to happen if she couldn’t get away? “Let go of me!” She made her voice loud on purpose, hoping that someone would help her.

But as she called out, people looked over then ran off. They didn’t want to get in any trouble with these guys. “So, Mario, which hole do you want?”

Bra growled, then twisted around, kicking one of the men in the nuts. He fell to the ground in pain, and she ran. Tears fell down her eyes as she heard their calls. They were planning to do more than rape her at this point.

She felt a hand at her back, which pulled on her dress, making her scream. Bra pulled, not caring that the designer outfit had ripped. She could hear them splitting up. They wanted to corner her.

Bra kept running, only looking back to find three of them still following her. But suddenly, she ran into something that was like a wall. She felt a pair of arms around her, holding her in place. She prepared to scream when she looked up. “Goten…” Tears were still falling from her eyes as she cried into his shirt.

“What are you doing here?” Goten knew that she had to be mad about him coming here…but he needed a fix. He had already bought something a lot stronger than what he was used to. But as he looked down at her crying against him, he felt ashamed. She was clearly worried about him, but on top of it, she looked horrified. She was trembling against him, and Bra rarely got scared about anything.

“Well, well, well, looks like it’s the end of the line, Girly.” The man with the mohawk smirked.

Goten looked around them. There had to be twenty guys, all of which were looking at Bra like she was a piece of meat. He was going to ask her what was going on, but she only held onto him tighter.

The man with the mohawk stepped forward as he tried to pull Bra away from Goten. “You know, if you hand her over, we’ll share her, that or you can die.” The man pulled out a gun.

Goten snarled. He was starting to shake. He was angry. Each second that he stared at these bastards while feeling Bra cry against him, was changing that anger into a bloodlust. The leader tried to grab Bra once more, only this time Goten caught his arm. The half-saiyan didn’t even hear the snapping of bone or the tearing of flesh. The only thing he felt was intense pleasure from the man’s screams.

Bra heard the scream and looked up, finding an arm dripping in Goten’s grasp. Her eyes found their way to his. She could see something terrifying there…but this was different. The chill she felt from the gang had been scary, this chill made her feel warm for some reason.

Bra gasped as she heard more than one gun prepare to fire. Goten pushed her down to the ground before dashing forward. She could only watch as the boy she once knew committed a massacre for the ages.

Blood flowed down the street like it was a river. Each body had been tortured in a different way. One was turned inside out, while another had been completely gutted.

Goten walked over to Bra, looking down at her. He felt sticky, but had no idea why. “We should leave,” he said, feeling lightheaded. What was he doing out here again?

Bra gave him a sad smile. “Yes…let’s go back to my house.”

Goten nodded as he leaned down and picked her off the ground. The two of them flew off, landing at Capsule Corp. Bra took his hand, leading him to the bathroom. He started taking his clothes off and jumped in the shower. The blood was dripping down the drain as he felt dizzy.

Bra on the other hand, had taken his bloody clothes out back, where she took some gas out of a shed before lighting them on fire. She could get Goten some knew clothes easily. She noticed a blood spot on her dress and sighed. Quickly, she moved into the house and changed her clothes. The dress was already ripped, so tossing it in the flames wasn’t a big deal.

Goten came out of the shower in a daze. There were some clothes in there for him. He had put them on before coming out and was now going towards one of the living rooms in a fog.

Bra found him in the hall and took his hand. She could see that he was out of it. She smiled up at him, wondering if he would remember any of this. She led him over to a couch, so he could sit down. She sat down next to him, not knowing what to say.

Goten felt really tired, so much so that he was falling asleep against her. He slid down, resting his head on her lap. He was looking up at her, noticing that her face was red. He smiled up at her. “You know, Bra…I think you’re right.”

Bra ran her fingers through his hair. “I usually am, but what about this time?” she giggled.

Goten reached up in his daze, touching the side of her face. “My actions put you in danger…I’ll never touch drugs again.”

Bra turned even redder. “I shouldn’t have gone after you.”

“I should have come here instead…” Goten said, yawning. He didn’t know how long he was going to stay awake.

“Go ahead and take a nap.” Bra smiled down at her savior, watching his eyes close as he began to snore softly. Watching him like this made her heart pick up. Her mind flashed to the man she had seen taking out those thugs, but her heart refused to slow down. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Once more, she looked down at him. What was wrong with her? Goten was her friend… he was like a brother. She shook her head. She was just happy that he saved her; that was it. Nothing more.

* * *

 

Later that night

The Sons were eating dinner as the news played. Gohan and his family were over tonight. The room went quiet as the talk of a massacre on the west side was featured.

Chichi sighed. “Kids these days with their guns. Back when I was a kid, we didn’t try to kill each other.”

Gohan looked at the screen as descriptions of the bodies popped up. “I don’t think the killer was using a gun.”

“But they found casings at the crime scene,” Chichi answered.

Goten stared at the screen, something about it felt familiar, but he pushed that thought away. It must have looked a lot like some horror movie that he had seen with Trunks. “I have to agree with Gohan. It looks like someone gutted them without a knife.”

Goku and Gohan stared at Goten in confusion. The boy rarely spoke during dinner. The full saiyan leaned forward. “What else can you get from looking at it?” Maybe his son was gathering an interest in something that had to do with fighting. If Goten wanted to be a cop, then Goku was fine with that.

Goten leaned back in his chair. “Well, I’m guessing that this guy overpowered them. Guns are usually something that someone uses when they want to get a job done. But they were killed by someone’s bare hands.” He pondered that for a second. “Each strike had to be made by someone that was borderline emotional.”

Gohan smiled at his brother. It was nice to see Goten being serious about something. “Why do you think they would be emotional?”

Goten thought that over. “It’s because he put his hands on them. The fact that this guy took the time to torture each one means that he wanted each of them to feel pain. If you use a gun, it’s over and done with, but by using his hands, the killer could take his time.”

Goku and Gohan were prepared to push Goten for more, but Chichi stopped them. “Now if only you put this much thought into your studies. If you can think all of this up from a description, then you can start at the community college in East City.”

Goten sighed, then went back to his food. Not saying a word the rest of the night.

Goku looked down at his plate in disappointment. He really thought that they were getting somewhere.

_End flashback_

Back in the present

Goten stared at Bra with his jaw dropped. “I…I didn’t do that…” But even as he said that, the memory returned.

Bra was red. “You did. I saw everything.”

Goten turned pale at the idea of doing those horrible things, but seconds later Raditz put his arm over his shoulder. “And you thought that you couldn’t kill people.”

Vegeta smirked at his apprentice from down the table. “I told you that you had it in you all along.” Bra stared at her father in confusion, but let him speak. “When you came here, I saw that killer in your eyes. It’s what let me know that you would be a berserker. I just had no idea that you were that ruthless.”

Goten turned red at Vegeta’s praise. “I couldn’t control myself.”

“But you didn’t kill me,” Bra said, getting everyone’s attention. “I think you were in control. I don’t know if I could do anything like that, but you’ve always been the one that’s enjoyed taking out people.” She giggled. “Hell, what’s your favorite video game again?”

Goten stayed red, then remembered something. “What do you mean about not killing anyone? You did that when you got me the keys.”

Bra looked surprised. “I didn’t kill anyone.” All she did was drug Jaco.

Goten smirked at her. “Jaco overdosed on the drugs you slipped him.” He waited or her response.

The saiyan princess shook her head for a second. “But…it wasn’t that much…was he really that much of a lightweight?”

“You probably did the patrol a service there,” Goten joked.

Mata giggled. “Why don’t you tell us about how you escaped then?” Her eyes went to Bra. “You said that you drugged the guard, why?”

Vegeta wondered why she had done that as well. “Yes, you are with the Patrol, are you not? Why not give away his position?” He needed to know as much as he could about this girl.

“I’m not with the Patrol, I was just there as my father has gone missing,” she answered honestly. “As for helping Goten, I wanted to do it.” She looked down. “He’s never been that happy, but there was a new spring in his step, so I couldn’t just let him be dragged off to have his spirit destroyed again.” Goten gave her a smile. “That and watching you kick Uub’s ass was pretty hilarious.”

Goten began to laugh, as did the rest of the horde. They all knew who Uub was. “I just want to know why he was following you around.” Goten felt angry as he remembered seeing Bra’s arm in the hanger. “He didn’t try anything, did he?”

Bra sighed. “You know that he’s had a crush on me for years…I’ve tried to ignore him. When I was trying leave the ship, he wasn’t letting me. That’s when you killed those soldiers, it rocked the hanger and made it so I could get away.”

Goten growled under his breath. “I should have killed him then.”

“It’s better that you kept him alive.” Goten stared at Bra with a puzzled look. “I want to see his face when he admits that you’re better than him. He’s too cocky for his own good!” she snapped.

Mata and Cilica giggled. “You two are just so cute.”

“What do you mean?” Bra asked, but quickly realized what the two women were talking about.

“That entire story is so romantic!” Mata gushed as Goten rolled his eyes.

“We’re just friends,” Goten replied.

“He’s like my brother,” Bra answered.

The entire horde laughed at that, even Vegeta. “I don’t see why you would lie about that.” Vegeta said, getting a shocked look from the girl. “Clearly fate has pushed you together.” He wondered what the girl’s power level was. His apprentice would need a good wife to pass on his legacy to.

Bra stared at her father in horror. “That…that doesn’t mean anything…”

“It could just mean that we have each other’s back,” Goten said, trying to get them off their back.

Tarble chuckled. “Well, until you two see what everyone else here can, I suggest we get the lady moved in.”

Negi began to laugh. “She can use Mata’s old room.”

Mata giggled, she had moved in with Turles, so they did have an empty space for the girl. “Let me show you where it is…what was your name again?”

“Bra.” The saiyan princess answered as she was led away, leaving the men and Cilica downstairs.

Vegeta turned back to his apprentice. “Don’t let go of that.”

Goten turned red. “I know you’re fine with it now, but I don’t have a death wish. Her father could easily kill me.” It had taken him a long time to get on Vegeta’s good side. The last thing he wanted was for that trust to be ripped away from him. That and Bra was just his friend. “And like she said, she’s like a sibling to me.” With that, Goten walked off. He wanted to go train a little.

Vegeta smirked next to Cilica. “I give them a month before they realize their feelings.” The prince chuckled.

Cilica grinned. “Not if we stir the pot.” She had just the idea, she was sure that Mata would be down with it. All the horde had to do was listen to her plan. “I bet if we do this right, they’ll be together within the next week or two.”

“Then explain,” Turles said, sitting down. He knew who this girl was, but even with Bra being Vegeta’s daughter, he had to repay his nephew for helping him remember his mating with Mata.

Cilica smirked. “Well, how about we start with this…”

To Be Continued…


	31. Chapter 31

Goku was pacing. It had been a week since the incident. Things were starting to look good for Uub. His apprentice was showing signs of waking up, now all he had to do was wait for an answer. Soon, they would know who the berserker was.

Gohan on the other hand, was keeping an eye on his daughter. Pan was acting like Uub was going to die and her life would be over. It didn’t help that his own mother was always at Pan’s side. For some reason, Gohan didn’t like how close they were.

But it was hard to focus on anything at the moment. Between the Horde, and Uub being out of it, the patrol was a mess. There had been a massive memorial service for the dead, while Bulma was pulling her hair out with trying to fix the computer systems once more. Whoever took out the mainframe had to be a genius in her book. She had found the drive that had been used and the heiress couldn’t believe the tech that had been used against them. Drives were something easy, the idea of something so small being used against them made Bulma want to laugh.

Goku jumped as he heard a groan. Pan was practically jumping for joy when Uub began to sit up. “You’re alive!” She hugged him and Uub looked uncomfortable and groggy at the same time.

Trunks had walked in. He had been using the ship to contact his grandfather. They had to know some of the information about the company. Both he and his mother couldn’t walk back in without information, but he stayed quiet upon finding Uub awake. He wanted answers, just like the rest of them. Where was his sister and was Goten still alive? Who was the berserker? Trunks longed to know such things.

Uub finally got Pan off of him and coughed. He could sense the emotions on the air. Anger, confusion, fear, he wondered what they knew. Did they know how he had lost to someone like that? They had to know if he was here in this hospital bed. He was still questioning what had happened. It didn’t make sense to him at all.

“Uub, can you speak?” Gohan asked, he wanted to be sure that the man wasn’t left mute from the incident. Of course, the boy could always write everything they asked down…if he remembered it. There was always a chance that Uub was taken by surprise or the boy could have amnesia.

Goku noticed that his apprentice looked upset. Whatever he had seen, must have been hard to swallow. “Uub, can you tell us anything?” All Goku wanted was some answers. He just wanted the hope that Goten was still alive. So far, his body had not been recovered. There had been some DNA tests, but nobody was matching with him or Chichi.

Uub sighed. “I can speak…I’m just trying to process it.”

“I bet you got a good hit on him!” Pan said with a grin.

“On who?” Uub asked. “I wasn’t able to hit anyone.” He hated admitting it. That Goten had gotten an edge on him. “He got me down before I even had a chance.”

“Then the berserker was here?” Trunks growled.

Uub nodded. “I wasn’t expecting him to be out of his cell when I ran into him in the hanger. Bra told me to leave them be, but I didn’t think for a second that he would be a threat.”

Goku felt confused, as did Gohan. “What are you talking about?” Gohan pondered. Why was Uub trying to keep the berserker’s identity secret? And how was Bra involved.

“My sister wouldn’t help anyone like that!” Trunks snapped, but Bulma smiled. She had a feeling that her daughter had a thing for the young man.

“She did…I don’t know what he told her, but she was willing to let him escape,” Uub said. “Actually, now that I think about it. She wanted him to go back to the horde.”

Trunks shook his head. “My sister would never do anything like that with some strange man!”

Uub snapped back. He was tired of Trunks’s attacks. “He wasn’t a stranger to her. She’s known Goten for ages.”

Goku felt his stomach drop. He didn’t just hear Uub right. He just couldn’t have.

Trunks snarled. “Are you trying to tell me that Goten is the berserker? Don’t make me laugh.”

Gohan shook his head as well. There was just no way that his little brother was the one that they were looking for. Goten didn’t have that much drive…even if the incident happened after his brother had been returned to them.

Nappa, who was holding Flambee, spoke up. “It makes sense.” Everyone looked at the older saiyan. “Goten disappeared on Vencarzu. My old contact told us that Raditz and Turles were there. It’s not hard to believe that the boy was taken by them.”

“But Goten would never be a berserker!” Trunks argued. “He’s so aloof about everything!”

“My Goten would never kill anyone!” Chichi snapped. “Even if he can be a playboy, he’s one of the sweetest boys!”

Goku was going to argue, but Nappa stepped in. “The kindest of souls, can easily be tainted by the darkest of truths. If he was taken by the horde, they would have pulled out his true nature. Picking apart his insecurities until he trusted them. What do you really know about the boy that was Son Goten?”

“I know enough about my best friend!” Trunks growled. He wasn’t going to accept this at all. Unless he got anything concrete, he wasn’t going to budge.

Goku wanted to side with Trunks, but then he remembered seeing Bra going to Goten the afternoon before. She was taking him and Jaco some food…the food that would carry the drugs that would kill the patrolman. The more that Goku thought about it, the more he knew that Nappa and Uub were correct. His son was the berserker…even if he didn’t want to admit it. The happy boy that he had helped raise, had become quiet and distant in his teen years and rebellious in his twenties. But at the same time, he was refusing to believe it. Goten didn’t like to fight…where had all of this come from?

Polar walked into the room in a huff. “Did any of you know about the girl’s betrayal?”

Bulma stared at the frost demon. “If you mean to ask if we knew that Bra was planning to help Goten escape, then no. We had no idea about that until a couple of minutes ago.”

Trunks was glaring at the frost demon. Why was everyone agreeing with Uub? All Uub wanted was Bra. The half-saiyan was convinced of that.

A couple of men came in, holding a disc. The frost demon took the disc and placed it in a functioning computer. “There was surveillance in the jail. We have their conversation recorded.”

Goku sighed, here it was. Now he had to accept it. He looked over at his wife and son. Gohan looked shocked, while Chichi looked horrified.

Goten and Bra appeared on the screen, followed by Bra speaking up. _“Goten…are you the berserker?”_

Goten laughed. _“Why would you ask that?”_

 _“Goten…I know you…your eyes…they’re the same as his,”_ Bra answered, putting her arms on the bars.

 _“So, what are you going to do about that?”_ Goten asked. Goku looked away. He didn’t have to listen to anymore to know the truth. His son was the berserker.

Everyone continued to watch, seeing as Goten put his hands on Bra’s as she asked him why. _“Is my dad okay?”_ Bra asked as Trunks fumed. Staring at the two of them…Goten and his sister looked like lovers. Was Goten out to make Bra one of his conquests?

Goku watched as his son’s face went from being serious to a big smile. _“Yes, you’ve got to see him, Bra. Your dad is amazing.”_

Gohan was thrown off by his brother’s praise of Vegeta, then he felt like he had been kicked in the gut as Goten spoke once more. This time praising the entire horde. He wanted to scream as the conversation continued…even as it got to the part about his brother’s disgust at being stared at by girls. He had always thought that Goten was a playboy…now Goten had practically just admitted that he was a virgin.

Trunks was shaking his head. This wasn’t real. Goten wouldn’t do any of this. But as everything played, he was finding that it was impossible to deny.

 _“Goten…did you try any…?”_ Bra sounded serious suddenly. Gohan and Goku were wondering what she was talking about.

Goten smiled at her _“No, I may have cleared a planet, but I’ve stayed clean of those. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”_ Gohan froze, his mind going back to all of those times that he thought that his brother was lazy. This was really a kick to the gut. How long had Goten been taking drugs…and from the sound of it, Bra knew about it and had been worried. Was his brother an addict or something?

Trunks was shocked. He was supposed to be Goten’s best friend, but now he wasn’t sure if he even knew Goten at all. The Goten he knew was a playboy, not a virgin…nor was he addicted to drugs. Then there was the fact that Bra knew everything. Did that mean that Goten didn’t trust him enough to lean on him?

Goku on the other hand noticed something else about the conversation. Goten liked fighting…at least that’s what it sounded like. His son wanted to be with the horde because he felt like he belonged with them. He was shocked by the drug use and wanted an explanation for all of this. Did his son really feel so alone that he resorted to that?

They all went quiet, knowing the truth. Son Goten was the berserker. Goku looked over at Bulma to find her giggling. Chichi glared at the heiress. “What’s so funny?!”

Bulma smiled. “She really is my daughter. I should have known that she would go for the bad boys.”

“I’m going to kill him if he tries anything.” Trunks muttered under his breath.

“If Vegeta doesn’t do that first.” Gohan sighed. He had heard it all for himself. Goten had gone to Bra for everything…which meant that his brother didn’t trust him or anyone else in their family. Did Goten really feel that isolated that he felt more at family with the horde? That had to be it, even if it pained him to admit it, but then there was another thought that Gohan couldn’t help but think. He dreaded the answer, not wanting to consider it. Did the horde have to convince Goten to join by force or did his brother join the horde of his own free will? Goten didn’t sound like someone who had been tortured, his brother sounded rather happy with the horde. Even going as far as saying he belonged with them.

He was going to have to watch these events unfold. Hopefully, his little brother wasn’t lost to them forever. Gohan didn’t know if he could live with the regret of not really knowing his little brother. All he could do was hope that it wasn’t too late.

* * *

 

Goten came back in from training. He was tired as Vegeta had worked him hard. He had seen Bra a few times, but Mata and Cilica were keeping her to themselves.

Today was a little odd though, he expected there to be food waiting for him when they got back from training, but there wasn’t any. Goten thought that Vegeta would be mad, but the prince seemed fine with that.

Then there was the fact that everyone was gone. “Vegeta, where is everyone?” Goten asked. He knew that there wasn’t a mission for them.

Vegeta chuckled. “Our plans have changed, let’s head out to the ship.” The prince motioned for him to follow.

Goten wondered what was going on, but followed the prince without a word. Were they going on a mission? If that was the case, then why was Bra going? She didn’t need to be anywhere near a battlefield until she was training.

As soon as they were on the ship, he could see the others. Bra gave him a smile as he sat down next to her. “Do you know what’s going on?” Goten asked.

Bra giggled. “I would tell you, but I think it’s a surprise.”

Goten gave her a questioning look, but it looked like she wasn’t going to tell him anything. The ship began to fly off the planet and Goten could feel the hyperdrive being switched on. Turles came out from behind the cockpit with a smirk, but once more, Goten couldn’t get an answer out of him.

Tarble walked up with a small vial. “Take this. You’ll need your energy.”

“Why? What’s going on?” Goten asked as he downed the vial in one shot.

Vegeta walked forward as Cilica came out with a small case. They began to open it and Goten’s eyes went wide. There was a new set of armor in it. “We thought that it was time you had your own armor,” Cilica said.

Vegeta chuckled. “No member of this horde needs to be running around in a jumpsuit like a peasant.”

Goten stood up, running his hands over the blue chest plate. It didn’t have the shoulder pads, but it looked a lot sturdier than the rest. He picked up a pair of black gloves and slipped them on. They fit him perfectly and all Goten wanted was to start putting the new armor on.

Vegeta smirked at the boy, this had to be like a birthday for him…and in some ways it was. These gifts didn’t come cheap, but the prince didn’t mind in the slightest. “Go ahead and try it on,” the prince said, motioning for Goten to go in the side room.

Goten picked up the box before leaving. He was too excited right now to object to anything the prince said.

Bra giggled. “It’s so nice seeing him happy for a change.”

“You really like him, don’t you?” Cilica teased.

Bra turned red. “I told you, he’s like my brother.”

“A likely story,” Raditz laughed, “and I’m a monkey’s uncle.”

“To be fair, brother, I think you are,” Turles said with a grin.

The rest of the horde laughed, but Bra noticed something. Her father was staring at her. “You realize when we get back, you will start your training. I will not have a weakling amongst us.”

Bra have him a nod. “I understand.” She looked over, noticing that Turles was having a problem with a device in his hands. She figured that she should try to be helpful. “What is that?”

Turles looked at her, knowing that she was Vegeta’s daughter meant that she probably wouldn’t be able to help him with this, but she did look curious, so he would give her a shot. “This is a complex nanocircuit. I’m trying to connect it to the patrol’s mainframe, but so far the two don’t want to be compatible.”

Bra stood up and walked over. “Can I see it for a second?” She watched as Turles handed it over with an apprehensive look on his face. She understood his concern. She needed them to trust her. She looked over the computer, linking it in a couple of seconds. “Here you go.” She passed it back to the spy. Turles was staring at her in shock. “I’m the heiress to a major robotics company.”

Turles looked down at her work, still stunned. “I’ve been working on this for hours.” He couldn’t help but be impressed. He guessed that was what he got for doubting the daughter of their prince.

“Back to the subject of Goten.” Mata giggled. She wanted to get the girl to spill as much as she could. Their plan wouldn’t take place until next week, but it wouldn’t hurt for her to try.

“I told you, he’s like my…” Bra stopped midsentence as Goten walked in. Her eyes fell on him and she felt a chill go down her spine. When had Goten’s shoulders gotten so broad? The boy she grew up with had been replaced by a man.

The horde looked over to find what she was staring at and Vegeta smirked. “It looks like everything fits.” The prince already knew it would. They had taken the boys measurements after all.

Goten was about to voice his thanks when he felt a stab at his backside. He growled for a second, then froze in place as he felt something moving around at his backside. He would have complained, but it felt like someone had just flipped a switch inside of him. All of his senses felt like they were in overdrive. Each one of his breaths was bringing in smells that he didn’t even know existed. Colors looked more vibrant and he couldn’t help but stare at Bra’s hair. He had always thought of it as Blue, but now it looked closer to a turquoise than before. The ship was making all kinds of sounds, he could hear even hear the sound of the fuel pumps cranking.

Slowly, Goten looked behind him, finding a long black tail swishing behind him. It took him a couple of seconds, but he was able to wrap it around his waist with ease. The half-blood looked over to the rest of the horde, seeing them staring at him with pride. He smirked back at them. This was his home. This was his family. Nothing in existence would change that.

Vegeta chuckled. “I hope you don’t mind us dropping you off on Fricar 5.”

“Why are you leaving me there?” Goten asked, pondering what his master had in mind.

“Tonight is a full moon.” Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms. “It’s time you felt the surge of an Ozzaru.” The prince looked back at some of the other horde members. “Negi, Onuin, and I will be joining you. The rest will return to get us at daybreak.”

Goten grinned. He really couldn’t wait to try this out. It sounded like a night of battle was in store for him. He could hardly wait.

To Be Continued…


	32. Chapter 32

Uub stretched, finally he could walk around again. He was glad that he had gotten away from Pan. She was far too clingy for his tastes, even if she was a little wild in the bedroom. He was sure that he hurt her, but she put on a happy face for him. Not that he wanted to see that again. He was going to have to find another woman to please him.

Knowing that Bra was a lost cause, he set his sights on one of the royals of another planet. It wouldn’t hurt to marry a princess. He found Uva sitting there by herself. He smirked as he began to talk to her. Within about 30 minutes, he had convinced her to go on a date with him, calling Pan an insane girl who lied about everything. Uva giggled at this, agreeing with him before taking his hand and walking off.

Pan walked out, having heard the entire conversation. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she ran towards the ship. How could she be so blind? And now everyone believed him. What was she going to do now? Dark thoughts came to her as she thought about going back to the ship. Bulma still had those pills, right?

* * *

The saiyans of the horde returned the next morning. Bra was trying to get used to the schedule around there. She barely saw Goten within the last week. He was always busy with her father. Each day, she grew more surprised by Vegeta’s actions. Growing up, she had never seen this side of her father.

This morning, she had woken up early. The one called Cilica wanted to go over training with her. Bra sighed. Goku gave her a little training on the way to the patrol, but that had stopped the moment she got working for the patrol. Her search for her father had been a priority. She felt like an outsider to the horde though, which made sense. Nappa had informed her that she was a member of the horde that Goku had formed on Earth.

She put on the jumpsuit she was given. There hadn’t been time to grab her own clothes. Not that she really needed them here. They would just get ripped up from the training. Cilica was proving to be a hard teacher. It felt like she couldn’t get anything right… unless she was staring at a computer screen.

When she got downstairs, she found more than just Cilica waiting for her. The one called Mata had taken interest in teaching her as well. “What are we doing today?” Bra asked, wondering if they were going to expand on her training.

Cilica frowned. “We’re still going over the basics. You really are out of practice. How are you going to find a mate like that?”

Bra stared at the shorter female in shock. “I’m only 16! I’ve got time to look for a boyfriend!”

Mata giggled. “Most saiyan women are mated at 17, so you really don’t have that much time before you’re an old maid.”

The princess turned red. “I’m from Earth! Normally you get married in your twenties.” She would have said something to the two of them, but she didn’t want to piss them off. If Cilica knew about Polar, she would probably fly off the handle. “So, it’s like I said. I have plenty of time.”

Mata shook her head. “You can’t have an attitude like that. There has to be someone you like.” The snipper pondered.

Bra turned red as her thoughts flashed back to Goten in that new armor of his. She pushed that thought away. She didn’t need to be thinking that way about him. He was just her friend…he was like a brother. But even then, she knew she was losing a war with herself. She had pondered the idea of him more than once. Before, it was easy to deny. Mentally, Goten had been weak. He was just someone who she chose to help…but now? After she had seen him at the Patrol, it was like he was a new man. He was still the same Goten, the parts of his personality that she found appealing were still there, but now he bore the confidence that she longed to see. But now that he was like this, she wasn’t the kind of woman Goten would want. He was a proud saiyan warrior…she was just the heiress to Capsule Corp. She wouldn’t even inherit the company. Her feelings made her long for something of her own. She was going to have to work hard to find her niche. “Not at the moment.” Her answer had earned her a couple of strange looks. “Anyway, let’s get to training.”

Mata sighed, still wishing she got an answer. If the girl would just open up, they could help her. Those feelings were all over her face. Now she was starting to wonder if her feelings for Turles had been that obvious. “I guess we can go over some sniping tips today.”

Cilica seemed fine with this as they headed downward. The guys were using the training room, but she knew that they could share it. Vegeta wouldn’t be happy about lowering the gravity for the newcomer, but it had to be done. Bra wasn’t going to get better if they kept waiting on them. The thief walked up to the door, turning down the gravity. She giggled as she heard some complaints from within. She turned to look at Bra. “Ignore Vegeta right now. He’s just used to getting things his way.”

Bra was surprised that Cilica was talking about her father this way. Of course, she already knew that her father could be bullheaded about getting what he wanted. How many times had her mother argued with him over his stubbornness? “I’ll try and remember that.”

They walked in to find Vegeta stalking towards them. “What is the meaning of this?!” The prince snapped.

“You told me to train the girl. She’s not going to get better with you hogging the training room.” Cilica said putting her hands on her hips.

The two kept arguing and Mata even chimed in. Bra on the other hand, snuck a peek at Goten. She was surprised that he wasn’t in that armor of his. It looked like his jumpsuit had been ripped open over his chest. Her eyes wandered on that exposed skin. She was too dazed that she didn’t even notice him getting closer to her. “Bra? Are you in there?”

The heiress jumped back, startled by how close he was. “Goten! Don’t do that!”

Goten tilted his head to the side. “What did I do?” He asked.

Bra turned a dark shade of magenta. “Nothing! Umm…” She felt so awkward around him now. Why did she have to go and think those thoughts about him? Now all she could think about was how good it would feel to be in those strong arms of his… She wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Bra shook her head violently. She needed to stop with thoughts like that. She wasn’t the type of girl for someone like him. Hell, someone like Aura was probably a better fit. At least she was going to amount to something.

Goten stared at Bra noticing that something had changed in her. It was like all of her confidence and strength was gone. He didn’t like the look of this at all. As she shook, he grabbed her hand. “Tell me, what’s wrong?”

Bra looked up, her eyes locking with his. She could see the same person that she regarded as a friend there, but now she was finding those eyes to be more than just friendly. “I don’t know.” The princess answered.

Goten sighed, looking away from her for a second and to the group of arguing adults. “Want to go for a walk then? It looks like they’re going to be a while.”

Bra wanted to shake her head. She was likely to reveal herself. The last thing she wanted was for things to be more awkward between them. But before the princess had time to answer him, he led her out of the room. Not noticing the smirks on the faces of the three pure bloods.

“You’re not acting like yourself. Did you want to tell me what’s wrong?” Goten asked, as they headed up the stairs.

Bra sighed. “I already told you, I don’t know.” She tried caving in, but he stopped them. She sensed him standing in front of her. The princess kept her chin down, only for him to pull it up.

“You’ve lost your spark.” Goten whispered. “Do you want to go back to the patrol?” He asked, not liking the idea of sending her back to Uub.

“No, that’s not it. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” Bra said.

“Then tell me what is wrong. Maybe I can help.” Goten pushed. After everything she had done for him, this was the least that he could do.

Bra tried to move in his grasp, but found that looking away was impossible. “It’s just about boys.”

“What about them?” Goten nearly growled. He didn’t like where this conversation was going. Did Bra have a thing for his greatest rival?

Finally, he was distracted enough for her to move her face. “I’ve just been thinking about them lately, that’s all. I am 16…almost 17.” She waited for Goten to have a reaction, but he remained still. “Anyway, I was just thinking about what I could bring to a relationship, then discovered that I really don’t have that much to offer.” His grip tightened, making her gasp. “What?”

“Where did you get such an idiotic idea?!” Goten snapped. “You’re Bra Briefs, the heiress to Capsule Corp and the princ…” Her hand stopped his rant.

“Capsule Corp will go to my brother. Face it, Goten, I really have nothing.” She tried to smile. “I can’t be good enough for someone.”

The Son growled. “You think those achievements mean something? What about your pride? Has your feelings for him made you lose yourself?!”

Bra felt very confused. “Him?” Did Goten think she was talking about someone else?

“Bra, he’s an arrogant liar. You know as well as I do that he deflowered Pan. No matter what happens, I would never allow you to hand yourself over to that scumbag!” Goten knew he wasn’t taking her feelings into consideration, but there was no way that he would hand his Bra over to someone like Uub.

Goten froze at his last thought. Did he just think of Bra as his? She was like his sis…he couldn’t even finish that thought. When had this happened? He felt his cheeks turning red. Her sadness bothered him considerably. Any time anyone looked at her the wrong way, jealous filled him. At some point, their relationship changed. Suddenly, he felt confident. Back then, he wasn’t good enough for her. Now, he was a man that her father leaned on, a proud saiyan warrior.

“Goten…who do you think I’m talking about?” She asked, still red in the face.

The berserker sighed. “Why don’t you head upstairs? I need to go have a talk with someone.”

Bra felt confused, but nodded. She gave him a dejected look as she prepared to leave, only for Goten to grab her arm again. “Goten?”

Seeing that look on her face annoyed him. He made sure to lock his eyes with her. “You are the princess of all saiyans, Bra. Don’t let any man take that pride away from you.” He let her go, watching her as she left. He sighed, then turned back to find Turles standing there.

“Relationship issues?” The spy pondered.

Goten nodded. “You could say that.” He thought over his next words. “You mated with a woman outside of your class…how did you do it?”

Turles smirked. “I just told her how I felt. Mata had always liked me though.” His smirk grew as he thought about the princess. “Just how high are you aiming?”

Goten sighed. “About as high as I can possibly go.”

* * *

Trunks threw another punch at the air. He was still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened. He wondered what Goten and Bra were doing now. A sting of jealousy went through him at the idea of his father training Goten. The heir shook his head. He had thrown that away. Training like that was for kids.

Trunks sighed, then moved out of the gravity room. He sat down, leaning against the cushion. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

_He was back in the gravity room. He was training with his father. Trunks remembered that he wanted to best Goten in the tournament. His father scoffed at his weakness, only for him to change forms for the first time. Vegeta asked Trunks to hit him. Surprisingly, Trunks made it through the barrage of blocks, striking his father in the face. He was punched back, then rewarded for his efforts._

_The dream changed to the tournament. His father was so proud when he beat Goten. Then laughed as he punched Satan out of the ring._

_But from there, dream shifted. He grew into a teen. His father’s proud smirks and grins faded as they became distant. Trunks stopped training, expecting a reaction from his father, but Vegeta gave him nothing. His admiration for his father had all but disappeared. Trunks had no idea that his words had affected Bra as well. He had turned against his father, taking every opportunity to make a jab at him._

_The dream morphed. Going dark and dreary. Trunks stared down, finding a grave in front of him. His father’s name was clearly written on the stone. A horrible stinging drove through him. His mind thinking back to his childhood. “No one is stronger than Papa.” “My Dad is the strongest.” “My dad is the best.” “My dad is a moocher.” My dad is a moron.” “I don’t have a dad.”_

_He looked up again, finding the grim reaper lowering a casket down next to his father. He tried to shew the reaper away, but didn’t have the strength to do so. This time, he read the stone. Son Goten._

Trunks woke up in a cold sweat. He was breathing hard as he looked down at his own hands. Everything around him was blurred as he began to cry into his hands. What a horrible son and friend he was. Not only had he pushed his father away, he pushed Goten away when he needed him the most. Now, he wasn’t sure if he would see either of them again. He couldn’t control his breathing at all and began to hyperventilate at the idea of him being so blind. Everyone thought the Horde were monsters, but Trunks knew the truth. If anyone was a monster, it was him.

He was turning pale from his lack of oxygen, when someone else walked onto the ship. In a matter of seconds, he had been giving a paper bag, while something warm was pressed against him. His breathing slowed as he took in the warm, almost honey like scent that surrounded him. “You smell good.” He said in a daze, not knowing who he was talking to. The girl seemed shocked, but helped him up and back onto his chair. It was then that he realized who it was. “Pan?” Trunks felt himself turn red. It looked like she had come here because she was crying. “Are you okay?”

“I could ask you the same thing?” She said, trying to hide her face. Trunks moved over, offering her a seat. Pan accepted it, only to sigh. “Trunks, do all boys lie?”

“What do you mean?” The heir asked.

She looked up at him. “Uub is lying to everyone about… you know…” She turned really red. “I would tell my dad, but I doubt that he’s going to believe me now. Both him and grandpa believed Uub so fast.”

Trunks looked down at her. Pan looked a little scared. Her mind was just as fractured as his was. “I believe you.” Her fear faded, making Trunks smile. “How about you stick to me for a while? All lies come out eventually.”

Pan turned red. She had never really considered Trunks as a possible boyfriend before. He was her best friend’s brother and a good friend of hers…but she felt quite comfortable around him. “If you don’t mind me complaining from time to time.”

Trunks grinned down at her. “I think I can handle that.”

Pan watched him get up and offer her his hand. Her earlier plans were now forgotten as he led her into the gravity room for a spar.

To Be Continued…


	33. Chapter 33

Trunks had to duck as a right hook was thrown his way. He hated to admit it, but now that Pan had a hatred of Uub, she was getting better than him. She threw her anger behind every punch, giving her more power than he ever thought she could have. “How about you take it easy on me?” the heir asked.

Pan giggled. They had been training with each other like this for the last couple of days. Her attraction for Trunks was going up, as was her hatred for Uub. How could she had been so blind? That charlatan had taken almost everything away from her. She wasn’t going to let herself be tricked like that again. “So, the son of a prince wants to back down too little old me?” she teased, hoping to get him riled up. There was a fire in Trunks that appeared when he fought. She wondered why she had never noticed it before.

Trunks smirked at her. “No, but I would like to keep my face intact.”

“For the ladies?” she joked, watching him sigh.

“No, but it does help to look presentable for business meetings. Even if they can be boring,” Trunks stated.

“I don’t know about that,” Pan began, “I like to think that you would look more intimidating with some gangly scar across your face. No one would even try to argue with you then.”

“Yeah, but what kind of girl would like a look like that?” Trunks asked, grabbing himself a bottle of water.

“I know I would. You would be surprised how many girls like the tough guy look. Hell, just look at your mom,” Pan stated. She didn’t think about her words until a couple seconds later. She didn’t just admit to Trunks that she would like him like that. She was trying to stop herself from falling for the same kind of trick again. Pan knew that she couldn’t allow herself to just fall for some guy at the drop of a hat, but for some reason it kept happening. Maybe she was her grandmother’s granddaughter after all.

Trunks turned red. He had never really thought of Pan that way before. For the first time, he looked at her. Not as a friend, but as a man. Her face was pleasing, there was no doubt about that. Her eyes contained a fire that he had never noticed before. “Do you want to go grab something to eat?” the heir asked, turning redder. He didn’t want to push her if this was something that she really didn’t want.

Pan didn’t want to sound too needy. In the past, that got her nowhere. “Yeah, I’m starving.” As she walked by him, her arm brushed his. Both of them froze in place. Her hand tingled as she slowly reached for him, taking his hand. Pan waited for Trunks to ask her what she was doing. To dismiss her and call her a tart, but the heir didn’t. Instead he squeezed her hand, letting their eyes lock. “Trunks…”

The heir found himself rather happy at the fact that she wanted to hold hands. Trunks really wanted to kiss her, but he would take things slow. Uub had treated her like garbage, he would show Pan that she was worth fighting for. “Pan…” Trunks took a deep breath. He could imagine that Gohan and Goku wouldn’t be too happy with him, but then again, he wasn’t after Pan’s body. “Can this be…a date?”

Pan turned red. Her heart beat fast, but an answer fell quickly from her lips. She didn’t expect Trunks to ask her that at all. “Yes.” She had to remember to breathe, a doubt came to her a second later. Was Trunks asking her this so he could get her in bed? She waited for him to try and kiss her, but instead he just took her hand and led her out of the ship. Was he taking her somewhere to have sex? That’s what Uub did… then he lied about it.

But soon, Pan was proven wrong as they entered the cafeteria. Trunks lead her to grab something to eat and her heart was all a flutter. Maybe Trunks didn’t have an ulterior motive. If anything, it looked like he wanted to gain her trust. Pan allowed herself to relax. It seemed that Trunks wasn’t after that yet. Instead, he remained close, but kept his distance. When she finished her meal, she realized what he was doing. The heir wanted her to see that he wasn’t like Uub. He was going to give her all of his attention.

Trunks stood up, taking both of their trays away. He didn’t notice Chichi walking in by herself. The woman noticed her granddaughter and was walking towards her when Trunks walked over and offered Pan a hand up. The housewife stopped in place watching the two of them. Pan tripped, causing her to fall into Trunks’s arms. Pan’s eyes were staring up into Trunks’s as the two of them turned red.

Suddenly, Chichi felt a wave of relief. It seemed like Uub was now forgotten. If Pan wanted someone like Trunks, she wouldn’t object. The boy had plenty to offer Pan. There would be no worrying about a man who runs off into battle at a moment’s notice. At least with Goku, she had the security of knowing those eyes never wandered. She already knew that Uub had eyes for the heiress of Capsule Corp. Chichi wanted to laugh at that. Her son, Goten, looked like he was the one that Bra really wanted. It would bring her unlimited pleasure seeing that boy get knocked to the side.

Deciding that it was best to leave the young couple alone, Chichi stepped out. Now she could watch that apprentice of her husband’s suffer. Now she was really glad that she was brought out here.

* * *

Goten paced. He kept running through idea after idea, but nothing seemed good enough. He needed to prove his feelings, but at the same time, he didn’t wish to get on his master’s bad side.

Deciding that pacing wasn’t getting him anywhere, Goten left his room. The half-blood needed to get out there. He wasn’t showing Bra that he could be the warrior she needed by staying in here.

The half saiyan headed down to the main area, finding his mentor and Uncle sitting there. Turles looked up at him with a grin, while the prince caught on. “Goten, come here,” Vegeta asked the boy.

Goten moved closer, doing what his master asked. “Are you in need of something, Vegeta?”

The prince smirked up at him. “I see that you’re distracted. Have you made a move on the girl yet?” He wanted a clear answer.

The half-blood sighed, but began pacing again. “I just need a way to make it perfect.” He kept going, not thinking about who he was talking about.

“I thought she wasn’t the one?” The prince continued to grin. “That she was like a sister to you… does that mean that your opinion has changed?” Goten growled slightly. “Is there another suitor?” The prince felt angry at the idea. His apprentice was a strong, powerful warrior. What more could a woman want, especially one with saiyan blood?

Goten snarled under his breath. “It seems that my father’s apprentice is staking a claim on her.” He kept pacing. The idea of Uub anywhere near his Bra was infuriating. He had to get the princess to see him and him alone. But how was that possible?

Vegeta felt a spike of rage, but he didn’t know why. In the back of his mind, Kakarot’s apprentice appeared. He stared at the wall as a memory came to him, blocking everything out.

* * *

_Vegeta sighed as he came back in from training. It would have been nice to have some company. He wanted to make Trunks continue, but decided against it. The last thing he needed was for his son to hate him more than he already did. Bulma said that this was normal for human teenagers. They always rebelled against their parents._

_But the prince couldn’t help but feel dejected. Once he had been a hero to Trunks and his little girl, now they treated him like he was dirt on their shoes…almost like Frieza did. Vegeta shook his head. It wasn’t that bad. Sure, he was without his horde and had been for some time, but he had Bulma. Everything would be fine._

_As the prince walked into the kitchen, he sensed something almost immediately. Someone was using his house for something naughty. He growled, noting that the two bodies were upstairs. As he stalked down the hall, he tried to make heads or tails of the Ki above him. There was one male and one female. His anger clouded his judgement. All he could think about was the thought of someone deflowering his little girl. He snapped his teeth, but stopped by the stairs. He heard a laugh from a small room off of the living room. The movie room had two people inside. Letting himself calm for a second, he sensed who was inside. The prince wanted to growl, Bra was in there with that playboy son of Kakarot. He decided to listen in to what they were saying._

_“Goten, I think it’s time you told them the truth,” Bra said, putting in a movie._

_“I don’t think they would believe me,” Goten said dejectedly. “I’m not Gohan.”_

_“They know you’re not Gohan.” Bra walked back over and sat next to him. “Just tell them you want to train, stand up to your mother and…”_

_“You really think my mother would listen?” The boy sounded defeated as he spoke once more. “If I was worth training, my father would have chosen me.”_

_Vegeta walked away from the door. This was an interesting development. He thought that all of their children had too much human in them. This was a pleasant surprise. He began to wonder if Goten had an interest in Bra that was more than friendship. Not that he was ready for his little girl to start dating. She was only 13. But Kakarot’s brat was becoming a solid option._

_Seeing that things were fine with his daughter; the prince began to question if it was his son that was upstairs with that girl. Vegeta chose to check the Ki’s above him this time, only to discover that Gohan’s daughter was up there with Kakarot’s apprentice. He growled. The nerve of them doing such a thing in his house._

_The saiyan prince dashed up the stairs, heading towards the room they were in. Uub came out with a smirk on his face. It seemed that he was proud of himself. Vegeta stayed out of the way. He knew it wasn’t his business, but this was his home. He caught the boy staring at a picture of his daughter in the hallway. Did Uub intend to make Bra his next conquest? What if they all had it backwards? Goten wasn’t the playboy…Uub was._

_Vegeta growled, causing the boy to jump. “Get out of my house.” He walked by the boy. “And don’t you ever plan on touching her.”_

_Uub was sweating as he ran off. Minutes later, Pan came out of the room. She looked like she was in tears, but at the same time, she was trying to put a smile on her face. She took one look at the prince and ran off in embarrassment._

_Vegeta growled once more, only to catch the attention of his wife. Bulma walked up to him with a concerned look on her face. “Goten’s here with Bra again; this could be bad,” she started._

_The prince crossed his arms. “The boy hasn’t touched her.”_

_“What?” Bulma asked, feeling very confused._

_“Kakarot’s brat sees her as a friend right now. I say we leave it be,” Vegeta answered._

_“But what if he…” Bulma began, only to be cut off._

_“The boy’s a virgin, Bulma.” He could tell that she was skeptical. “I have not once smelled a woman on him, and he seems far too awkward to put the moves on anyone. If I were to place money on anything, I would watch that apprentice of Kakarot’s.”_

_“You think Uub is bad news?” Bulma asked, not sure if she should believe him._

_“I don’t think, I know.” The prince walked up to her and led her to their room. They had much to discuss._

* * *

The prince heard voices around him. Goten and Turles were waving their hands in front of his face. As he blinked, he couldn’t help but wonder if all of that was true. It felt like he was there… but how was all of that even possible? He was in a tank for the last 30 years of his life. At least, that was what he was told.

Vegeta looked up at Goten, more flashes appeared. The boy was from his past, he was sure of it. Although, if that was the case, why did Goten lie? The boy had to have a reason for his treachery.

It didn’t take long for the prince to guess that reason. Goten needed a horde and wanted training. The boy found a place to belong while at his side, Vegeta really couldn’t fault the boy for that. Besides, if mind alteration was done, the effects of him gaining all of his memory back at once would have been taxing on his body. Hell, back in the day Frieza used it as a form of torture.

The prince saw it all clearly now. Not everything was filled in, of course. Plenty of spots were hazy and the prince wasn’t even sure if all of that was correct. He stood up and walked out of the room. There was something that he needed to know.

* * *

Bra growled. Why wasn’t any of this working? She had tried everything that Cilica and Mata tried to teach her, but she wasn’t growing. All she felt was a pit of despair. Now that she knew her feelings for Goten, it was so hard to look at him. What made it worse was the fact that the berserker saw her as a friend, no… a sister. The thought felt like a knife was being thrust into her chest.

The distractions made her an easy target for Mata, who was growing annoyed with the girl’s melancholy. She figured that they would have fallen into each other’s arms by now, but no. Goten and Bra were being difficult. Now she knew what the rest of the horde had to deal with when she and Turles were acting like fools.

Bra was blasted back, only to sigh. “You guys should just give up. I guess I’m not really made for this.”

Cilica was about to dig into her for wasting their time, when the door to the training room opened up. Vegeta walked inside and she turned to him. “We’re busy, come back and train later.”

The prince gave her a small glare. “I suggest you head upstairs. Mission statements are in.” He watched as Bra attempted to leave. “You will stay.”

Bra was shocked. Her father hadn’t paid her any mind since she came here. The princess accepted this. It wasn’t like he knew who she was. Before she could object, Mata and Cilica were gone. They shut the door, sealing her into the gravity room.

Vegeta walked around her, taking in her appearance. “You’re training is behind. Even the boy was able to keep up with me.” The prince wondered why her training was so bad. If she was truly his child, Bra would have been trained to be a strong fighter.

Bra gazed at her father as he turned his back to her, hitting all kind of buttons on a panel next to them. “My father used to call me a spoiled princess…” She looked away. “He was right though.” What could she even say to him? They barely knew each other before and now he had no idea who she even was.

“I was a spoiled child, at least I was by my father.” Vegeta glared at the wall. “I still turned out to be a competent fighter, so what’s your excuse?”

Bra looked down. Before she was the one looking down on him, now the tables had turned. “I guess there really is no excuse.” She wanted to cry. The last thing she said to her father was beginning to ring in her ears.

Vegeta noticed that she seemed to be very cautious with her words. There had to be a reason for that. “Your mind is well developed though. You just need to harness that. From what I can tell, you’re overthinking your movements.” The prince turned back around. Another flash came to him, where Bra was standing, there was a small baby girl climbing towards him. The baby was all smiles, giggling da da over and over again. Vegeta blinked once more and the vision was gone. He took a deep breath. This couldn’t be a coincidence. There could be no way that he was dreaming any of this up on his own. “Show me your fighting stance.” The prince crossed his arms, making sure that he wasn’t revealing himself as he did so.

Bra moved into position and quickly realized that he was making mental notes. “What’s wrong with it?” She felt panicked. This wasn’t her father the push over, this was the leader of the saiyan horde. In this state, he could blast her with ease.

But to Bra’s surprise, her father walked up to her. She felt her arms being twisted and noticed that her stance had changed. “Your body is made for offence, not defense. You are not bulky like Onuin or Goten. You should plan your movements with more speed. Get in and make an attack, then retreat as you need to.”

The princess was shocked. Was her father really giving her fighting advice? “So, this will help me get better?”

“If there’s anything I know, it’s fighting,” Vegeta answered. “I’ve been doing it all of my life.” The prince was finding it easier to explain these things to her. “Every member of the royal family is a warrior. I knew how to punch and kick before I could walk. Battle is second nature to me.”

Bra listened to every word he was saying. Never in a million years would she think that her father would spill this much information about himself to her. “So, you carry on the traditions of your home? What about your father?”

The prince went quiet as he thought about whether he should tell her. Seeing that she was interested, he figured that it couldn’t hurt. “I idolized my father. He was strong willed, a testament to our kind. He ruled over our people to the best of his ability.” Vegeta knew his eyes were glazing over. “He adored me…we spent hours together…”

Bra noticed the change in her father’s voice. Something had happened. She knew their planet was destroyed. “He died with the planet, didn’t he?”

Vegeta looked at Bra as he thought over his words. “Frieza has a way of messing with people. When I was a child, I was taken from home. Frieza trained me to become stronger.” The prince took a deep breath. For some reason, he felt nervous in telling her this. “My father wanted me to stay on the planet. He didn’t care for Frieza’s interference. I yelled at my father, I even told him that I hated him.” Bra’s breath hitched at that, but the prince had no clue why. “I ran off for a mission… when I returned, I found Frieza standing over my father’s corpse. After that, I was removed from the planet with the others of my horde. Many of which killed their own parents. My own brother, Tarble, finished off our mother…even if that was a mercy killing in the end.”

The princess felt tears begin to pool in her eyes. “How do you still…?” She began, only for her father to answer.

“Have you ever heard the phrase, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?” Vegeta asked, only for her to nod. “For years, I have plotted my revenge against that lizard. I do his dirty work, only to get stronger. I stopped pushing myself to be the killer he wanted me to be, but instead the warrior my father wanted me to be.”

“What would you want after that revenge?” Bra asked.

Vegeta touched a button on a nearby wall. “I would probably find the woman that keeps showing up in my dreams.”

Glad to get off the topic of revenge and murder, Bra steered the conversation towards this topic. “What does she look like?” What kind of woman could his father be dreaming of?

The prince thought that over. “You look like her, but she’s older than you. Maybe a little bossier. It’s strange. You back down to me…all people back down to me, but that woman doesn’t. She’s never scared of me, even if I threaten her.”

Bra’s eyes went wide. Did her mother have that little disregard for her own life?! “That must be annoying.”

For the first time in her life, Bra was shocked as her father smiled…not a smirk, not a grin, but a genuine smile. “It’s kind of refreshing really. Fire like that is rare. To extinguish such flames would be a crime.”

The princess thought over her words before speaking. “You sound like you love this woman.”

“It’s a shame that she’s only a dream though. My mind even came up with a name, too.” He could tell that she was waiting for him to answer. It was becoming clear to the prince that something was going on. Bra had to be his daughter with his dream woman. “Bulma. It sounded strange in the beginning, but it’s grown on me.”

Bra wanted to fall to her knees and start crying. This was what she missed throughout the years. Sure, her mother had explained how they loved each other, but to see her father talking like this was a different story. He was a man who lost his memory, but somehow, someway, his love for her mother had shined through. “What would you do if you found her?”

Vegeta chuckled. “I would probably claim her as my own. It wouldn’t matter to me if there was another suitor. The weak must be crushed by the strong, even in matters of the heart.”

Bra turned red. Her mind flashed to Goten. “How do I become good enough for someone I want?”

“You fight. Grow stronger, not just in body, but in mind. Trust your instincts, follow them before all others. Learn to read everyone you meet, analyze them. Not everyone has the best intentions,” the prince stated, he felt warm really. The longer he stayed with her, the more he was convinced. This Bra was his daughter with the one called Bulma.

“But how do I get Goten to notice me?” She covered her mouth as soon as the words left it. She turned bright red. This wasn’t something he needed to know.

Vegeta smirked. “You care for my apprentice? Don’t bother covering your mouth now, I’ve already heard it.” He watched her calm. “If you want his heart, fight for it. Get stronger and fight for him. Put your all into making him yours. He is a strong, capable warrior. Quite dependable as well.”

“So, I need to be dependable, too? How do I do that?” Bra asked.

Vegeta saw his opening. “Mission assignments are out already. I will be sending the two of you out on one together. For the next couple of days, I will be your teacher. Follow my lead, do as I say, and you’ll get what you want.” In the back of his mind, the prince continued his sentence. ‘as will I. Hell, I may get some grandkids out of this with black hair and strong genes. I do wonder, what is the boy up to? Bulma has to have her hands full.’

To Be Continued…


	34. Chapter 34

Raditz growled to himself as he walked over the terrain of the planet he had just landed on. It had been a while since he had been given a solo job. The last time he had been tasked with taking out a planet on his own had to be when he had been left alone. It was him, the prince, and the old man. The rest of his comrades, even his own brother, had betrayed him. Hell, he never counted the old man as a comrade and the prince would turn on him afterward. All in the name of that putrid word. Love. Sure, he was fine with Mata and Turles being together, but no one said anything about them leaving the horde behind… leaving him behind. He kept Lord Frieza on a pedestal because of this. The horde had forgotten itself once, they would do it again. Those memories would return and he would leave them in the dust when that happened. They were the ones that had to pay for leaving him alone, for betraying him in the worst way possible. Even if he was insane, that didn’t mean that he liked being alone. He was written off as a man whore, but really were Negi and Onuin any different? The only difference was that they settled down. They had taken mates. Raditz remained a playboy, finding woman after woman.

Getting closer to the site he would be working on; the bomber couldn’t help but feel uneasy. There were reasons he didn’t like being by himself. The years of loneliness that came after each member of the horde departed was too much to bear. The fact that he lost his brother first had to be the biggest blow. Turles didn’t trust him enough to take him with him. A rift had been growing there for years, but the bomber kept quiet about it. Turles had been in love. That same pain was repeated when he came face to face with Kakarot years later. His youngest brother looked upon him like he was a foul creature instead of a sibling. It was maddening really. Neither of them knew what he had done for them. No one in the horde knew what he had sacrificed for them. His scars could not be seen and never be erased. The years of being subject to Zarbon’s wishes were too painful for Raditz to ever forget. His sanity was on the line and he threw it away, allowing Frieza’s henchman to violate him in the most disturbing way possible.

Bombs and sex were a distraction. They took away some of that pain, alleviating his suffering. Another distraction came in the form of his nephew. Goten’s personal struggle mirrored his own in many ways. The two of them were outsiders in their own families. Forgotten by the parents and siblings they had. Tossed to the side like the most offensive garbage. But at the same time, this worried the bomber. His resolve for his revenge was waning. He wanted to hurt his brother and the horde for their betrayal, but at the same time, he wanted to protect Goten from Frieza. His mind was becoming clearer as each day passed, and now he was starting to see the flaws of the alien whom he once saw as a god. It made Raditz feel like a fool.

But here he was, all by himself once more. His pain and suffering were beginning to flow back to the surface. The bomber thought to destroy and knew that it would work for the time being. He set up each of his bombs, growing more urgent of their powerful explosions as the time passed. It was far too quiet. The days of his death were coming back to him in waves. That horrid fate he endured was behind him, but caused his skin to crawl. Even in death, fate wasn’t kind to him. He never found his parents, all he found was Zarbon. It had to be bad luck that they would run into each other in the afterlife. That he would be forced to face his greatest sin for all eternity.

He shook, trying to will those thoughts away. He knew he was succumbing to his fears. That was not what a saiyan of the horde did. Raditz took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His hatred of his companions was almost forgotten. They knew nothing of his sacrifices and it would stay that way. He could only imagine Turles’s disgust at knowing what he had done.

As he set up the last bomb and prepared to set them off, the bomber heard something from down the hall. He growled, readying himself for hand to hand combat. He wasn’t really that good at fighting that way, but if it came to that, he could do it. He had explosives stashed on him for such occasions.

The person in question came into the light and Raditz was stunned. He knew this woman…this was the member of the bomb squad that he had slept with back when Goten had infiltrated the Patrol. The petite woman looked up at him in shock. “YOU!” she growled. Her small almost rabbit like tail puffed up behind her.

Raditz glared at her. “So, back for more?” Did she think she could stop him?

Grenaade strode forward, he was a lot taller than her, but she refused to back down. “Like I would want you to touch me again! Seriously, you got me drunk and had your way with me without my consent!”

The bomber rolled his eyes. “Oh please, I was just as drunk as you were. You gave yourself to me.”

Grenaade jumped up, smacking him across the face, which was a feat in itself as she barely came up to his waist. “The nerve of you! You tricked me into your game with that remote.”

Raditz laughed as he spit out blood. She had hit him pretty hard. “And you still couldn’t figure out the puzzle,” he taunted her. “Just like you won’t figure it out now.” He pointed to the large map he had laid out. Each bomb location was mapped out, but each was controlled by one device. Not that she would figure out how he had done it. Each of his creations was a secret.

The purple skinned alien ran over to the plans he had left there, her eyes scanned the map, noting how intricate it was. Everything spread out enough that it could target just about every part of the city around them. Grenaade turned, finding the saiyan smirking at her. “You’re going to blow up the entire city!”

“That’s what a bomber does. As I said before, you won’t figure it out.” The bomber chuckled darkly. “You might as well give up.”

The pixie turned back to the map, trying to decipher the code he had written it in. How many different languages had he used? It was like as if each word that was written was from a different language, some using dialects from alternate regions. Grenaade was pissed, but at the same time, she felt something else… She tried to push away her thoughts of excitement. This bastard was going to blow up most of the planet. People were going to die… each of his hand-crafted bombs would seal their fates… Suddenly, she felt a bit dazed. Her tail fluffed out more as she read over the plans, in an effort to calm herself.

“Have you given up?” Raditz said, clearly enjoying her turmoil. He walked closer, coming up behind her and whispering in her ear. “Or is this game over?”

Grenaade shivered, feeling a chill go through her, followed by heat. She looked back at him, finding him close enough to kill her. It looked like he was poised to do just that. “It’s voice activated. You need to say the magic words to detonate it.” Her eyes found his. Why was she still standing here? She needed to get away before he killed her.

The bomber felt strange as their eyes locked. Raditz had a rule. He would never touch the same person more than once. He needed to kill her and get it done with. “What word would that be?” the saiyan asked, waiting for the female to speak.

The patrol member felt herself fall deeper into those eyes. “Love.” Around her, she heard crashes as explosion after explosion went off. The ground rocked around them, causing her to lose her footing. Grenaade fell against the bomber’s chest as he caught her petite form in his hands. The alien and the saiyan stared at each other. She felt hotter with those arms around her. Slowly, they inched forward, allowing their lips to meet. An explosion rocked the ground around them as the kiss inflamed them, driving them to give into the growing tension between them.

Hours later, Grenaade awoke to find herself on the bomber’s chest. She thought about slashing his throat, but found she couldn’t. The idea made her heart burn. “What have you done to me?” she asked, but he remained asleep. The alien rolled her eyes as she cuddled into him. He was a twisted member of the horde, but she couldn’t help it. It looked like she had lost this battle… not that she was complaining. She smiled to herself. He really wasn’t that bad. Hell, he was actually quite attractive.

Raditz stirred, his eyes locked with hers and he almost cursed. He had broken his rule. He needed to get away from her before she got any ideas. He planned to get up, but she smiled down at him, causing him to tense up.

“That was one hell of an explosion…” She moved her finger in a circle on his chest. “But it seems that my fuse needs to be lit again.”

Raditz turned red as he regained his composure. He felt odd, like something was clouding his judgement, but at the same time, he felt warm. Very warm. His rules were tossed out the window as he gave into the beat of his heart. “Then let me set you aflame.”

* * *

 

Polar returned to his quarters late. He was beyond exhausted. All of his time had been committed to finding Cilica. As he walked by some photos of them, he took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had been on his own. Life wasn’t the same without her smart-ass comments.

The frost demon walked into his son’s room, finding his father-in-law rocking his son. “How fast did he pass out?”

“Pretty fast, he keeps asking for Cilica, though,” Nappa stated, keeping his voice hushed as to not wake Flambee.

“She used to read to him every night,” Polar said, watching as Nappa put the boy in his bed. “Between work and being a mother, she never really stopped.”

“That sounds like her mother,” the saiyan answered as they left the room. “What plans do you have for the future?”

The frost demon looked back over at the photographs, picking up their wedding photo. “I have no idea. The fact that she doesn’t remember me or our son is depressing. If she does remember, I want her to return to my side. Our son needs his mother and I need my wife.”

“Are you going to try for another child?” Nappa inquired.

Polar shook his head. “We tried for years, poor Cilky and I lost each attempt to a miscarriage. It wasn’t until four years ago that we were blessed with Flambee. Cilky wanted a child badly. Knowing that Onuin had so many children was heartbreaking for her and with each day, she became more depressed. I don’t wish to put her through that again. The years of trying were hard on both of us. It was when we gave up that Flambee happened.” He half smiled. “Both of us expected the loss. Cilky was mentally preparing herself for it. I remember the day when the doctors told us it was viable. 15 months later, Flambee was born.”

“15 months!” Nappa said in shock.

“My kind have long gestations. Usually it is around 2 years, but I think the fact that he’s half saiyan sped up the process.” Polar had to keep himself from caving to his grief. “The moment he was placed into her arms, she cried…I cried. That boy is our little miracle. Every second that she’s away, will eat at her on the inside.”

“Have you thought about adoption?” Nappa asked, he was given a look from the frost demon. “I only ask because I don’t really care for that fish lady and her kids.” The saiyan shook his head. “What was my son thinking?”

Polar smiled. “People often lose their minds when they’re in love. I know I sure did.” The frost demon looked back down at the photo.

“You miss her as much as the boy,” the saiyan said, walking by Polar. “We will find her. Cilica came out of that funk once, she can do it again.” Before he had anything else to say, Nappa was gone. Polar put the picture down. He needed to turn in as well. Wandering around with no sleep wouldn’t help him save his wife, now would it?

Before he headed to his room, he dropped in to check on his son. Flambee was thrashing in his sleep. It looked like the boy was having a night terror. The frost demon waited for the boy to scream, but it passed without incident.

He could hear his wife’s voice in the back of his head as he reached down and picked up his son. It wouldn’t hurt for the boy to sleep with him for the night.

* * *

 

Rouge checked into the medical wing. Her daughters and sisters were at her side as a nurse looked over her. Soon a doctor would be in to see her. The red alien felt strange. She hadn’t eaten in days, mainly because she had a stomach virus. She told her children that it was nothing. It would pass. It was probably because of all of this weird food they served. Seriously, eating no meat would do that to you.

“Mom, what if it’s serious?” Civilla asked as her Aunt Amber fretted about the room.

“I told you, it’s the stomach flu or maybe gas,” Rouge argued. She wondered what Negi was doing right now. The idea of him bashing two skulls together was highly entertaining.

The nurse left with her blood samples and now they just had to wait on the doctor. “Rouge-chan, it might be more than that. You’ve never been one to take care of yourself,” her eldest sister chimed.

The red alien shook her head. “I do take care of myself.”

“Drinking your weight in alcohol is not taking care of yourself,” Amber stated, looking worried at her older sister.

Civilla motioned for her siblings to leave. All five of her sisters left, trusting her with their mother’s care. “I hate to say it, Mom, but they have a point. You need to slow down. Dad will come back home.” Part of her wanted out of here. She had a date with that boy named Uub from Earth. She planned to rock his world.

Rouge was going to argue as the doctor came in. He gave her a smile. “I’m not used to this out here. Usually, I give everyone bad news,” he said with glee.

“So it’s good news that she’s sick?” Civilla said, feeling confused.

Rouge noticed that he was holding her file. “Then tell me what this good news is.”

The doctor smiled. “It seems you are with a litter. I would say 3 or 4 based on the blood work we got back.”

The red alien thought back to that excursion with Negi on the battlefield. A smile came to her face. “That is good news. I bet my husband will be excited when he finds out. Can you tell me anything else?”

“We can get you into an ultrasound. I want to make sure the number is correct. You are about 2 months along, I take it.” Rouge nodded as the man placed some goo on her stomach and moved a small transceiver over it. The doctor pushed down and she couldn’t believe it. Back home, she had never had this done. Everything had been a surprise when she gave birth. Her race could be determined by sex by at least a month, so now she was curious. “It looks like four.”

“Four girls.” Rouge laughed. Her Kasi…Negi, had always wanted a son, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards.

“Three girls, one boy,” the doctor stated.

Rouge went quiet. She had a son…Negi was going to get his wish. She smiled to herself. This was fantastic news. “My husband will be ecstatic.”

The rest of her family was speechless. When did Rouge find time to get pregnant? Wasn’t her husband off with the horde? But Rouge refused to answer their questions. She was far too happy right now. Nothing could burst her bubble right now. Nothing.

* * *

 

Gohan looked up at the ceiling of his bunk. Below him, he could hear his father’s snoring. The half-blood couldn’t sleep though. He had just finished reading the journal that he found in the jail. Goten had been carrying this around, but it wasn’t his at all. It turned out to be his Uncle Raditz’s.

From the beginning, Gohan felt angry as he read it. His memories of his Uncle came to the surface, none of which were pleasant. As he began to really read the journal though, he found himself feeling horrified. Zarbon’s true nature was exposed, but that wasn’t all. He found entries of sadness at the loss of each member of the horde, excitement for finding his father on Earth, anger as he was brought back to life, and finally confusion as his uncle got closer to Goten. It looked like his brother had been helping Raditz to heal. The ill will that his uncle had started off with was fading away as the bonds of the horde were renewed.

Gohan was shocked to discover that Goten had already joined Vegeta’s horde. There was even an entry for when his dear brother became the berserker.

From his reading, Gohan realized that it had to be done. All of that anger inside his brother had been ready to explode. If the horde had not interfered, Goten may have tried to take his own life. The pain of having a split soul was going to catch up to him. It was better for Goten to be a berserker and have a horde, then nothing at all.

A twinge of sadness crept in. If only he could have been the person his brother needed. If only he had stopped to read the signs instead of falling to hearsay. Goten wouldn’t have had to suffer for so long.

The half-blood turned on his side. Tomorrow was a new day and he better put his knowledge to good use. Maybe it would help him find his brother after all.

To Be Continued…


	35. Chapter 35

Raditz rolled over and found himself looking around the strange room he was in. He had stayed far too long on this mission. It had been over a week since he had finished. As he got up, Grenaade stirred. “Raditz…come back to bed.”

It was strange, no one was on this planet. They were completely alone. As if on cue, he sat back down on the bed. “You know, we have to return to our lives at some point.”

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, while her head appeared against his neck. “I know, but I don’t feel like it.” The member of the bomb squad felt his tail come around her waist. “We could always run away together. No one would have to know.”

Raditz sighed. If he ran off, he would be no different than his horde had been. The bomber just couldn’t leave them with the burden of Frieza. “As appealing as that sounds, you know that’s impossible.” He grabbed one of her hands and brought it to his lips. The bomber knew this feeling was new for him, but he didn’t mind it in the slightest. What had started out as being wrong, felt incredibly right.

“It would be nice to get away from the patrol…and my sisters,” Grenaade answered. She listened to him purr against her skin. “Going back without you, is like a horrible nightmare.”

Raditz grinned as he shifted around on the bed, allowing her petite form to straddle his lap. “There is a darkness in my past…are you prepared for that?”

Her hands came up and around his neck. “I know about Frieza…” she began, but he stopped her with his lips.

“If you wish to know, I will tell you everything. Just keep this secret between us.” For some reason, he wanted her to know about his pain. Her presence was comforting. As he told her the tale of his childhood, her eyes became sad. Her grip on him tightened, almost as if she didn’t want to let go. “So, you see why I have to go back. I can’t leave them to die like that. Zarbon may be dead, but I need to atone for my betrayal.”

“I…I understand.” They kissed again but she didn’t remove herself. “Just give me everything one more time before you leave.” Grenaade cried out as Raditz leaned into her neck and bit down. She was clinging to him as he cleaned up his mess from breaking the skin. “What was that for?” she asked, not feeling that much pain. Instead, her body felt tingly all over.

“It’s a promise,” Raditz stated as he twisted her down toward the bed in the gentlest way possible.

“A promise?” Grenaade asked.

“To return to you and only you,” Raditz said with a genuine smile. “That once all of this is over with…you’ll be mine forever.” As he descended on her, the bomber couldn’t think about anything else. For the first time in a long time, he felt whole. He wasn’t looking forward to returning to Frieza’s army, but there was no way around it. He would have to bide his time until he was in her arms once more.

* * *

 

Goten stared out at the planet he was meant to destroy. A smirk came to his face as he thought about the destruction that he had planned. The berserker wondered what kind of people lived here and what kind of challenge they would bring to the table.

But that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. The princess of all saiyans was accompanying him. His eyes stared back at her, almost in a longing way. Mentally, Goten slapped himself. This wasn’t the time to be eyeing her like a scrap of meat. He needed to focus on his mission, as well as keeping her safe. Part of the berserker wondered why his master had allowed Bra to be out here. She wasn’t properly trained… hell, he wasn’t even sure she could handle cold blooded murder. She was a member of his father’s horde. A group that saw fighting as a hobby. Even with his feelings, this was a fact that Goten couldn’t forget.

“The nearest city is within walking distance,” the princess began. Bra looked down at a small handheld map in her hand. She could tell that Goten was on edge. She felt a little depressed. She had to be a bother…but her father told her that this is what she had to do to win his heart. From where she was standing, the berserker would see her as a hindrance. It didn’t matter what kind of training she had received. “We should come up with a plan.”

Goten nodded. “Stay close to me and keep your eyes open.” He walked by her. The Son couldn’t help but be on edge. Protecting her and completing his mission would be a herculean task.

Bra felt like there was a slash through her heart. He was snapping at her more than usual. The kind-hearted boy she fell for seemed gone in this scenario. “Should I just stay with the ship? I don’t want to bother you.”

Goten stopped in place. Her voice sounded so disappointed. There was a stinging in his chest. This wasn’t her fault. “You’re not a bother. I’m just on edge.” She seemed ready to answer him, but he continued. “You’ll be in more danger with the ship. If someone comes this way, I can’t protect you.”

“I’ve had some training, you know!” Bra snapped. It felt like a part of her had snapped. Her father’s words about pride were coming back to her. “I’m not an object that needs protection.” She got in his face. “I’ll show you!” Bra flew off before Goten could say anything else. She would prove that she was useful.

The berserker stared at her form as she flew away. His eyes weren’t all that friendly though. Mentally, he slapped himself for such thoughts. They had a mission and that was all that mattered right now. Finally, he took off after her. Knowing that the mission was the more important thing at the moment. But even as he flew, Goten thought over his words. He could tell by her actions that he had wounded her pride. That wasn’t his intent, but it seemed that he had crossed a line. The berserker figured that he could make it up to her later though. “Look, this is just your first time on a battlefield…” He began, but stopped talking when her gaze found him. Goten swore that she was slicing through him with such a look. The berserker turned red and away from her, now he knew he had screwed things up.

Bra kept her eyes icy as they got closer to their target. She killed Jaco, she could kill another. Her father believed in her, it was time she believed in herself.

As soon as the city was upon them, Bra took in the sights. Her eyes scanned the metropolis below. The aliens seemed to be having a normal day. Goten appeared next to her and she watched him scan the area. “If you believe you can handle it, go to the east. I will take the west. We will meet in the center.”

Bra glared at him. “Excuse me, but who’s the princess here?”

Goten glared back at her. “And who’s had the proper training?”

“I’ll take the North, you take the South.” She argued, crossing her arms in front of herself in defiance.

The berserker growled. “The north is filled with military grade weapons. You wouldn’t last there by yourself.”

Bra seemed thrown off by his comment. “How can you get that from just looking?”

Goten took another look at the city below them. “I did some research before coming here. Try taking some notes from Tarble or Turles. When it comes to missions, it’s best to have all of your information ahead of time.”

The princess turned red from embarrassment. “I…I could have figured that out on my own.”

“You would have been blown to bits, then I would have to answer to your father,” Goten explained, “and unlike Negi and Onuin, I don’t have a death wish.”

Bra looked away. “My father doesn’t even know that it’s me,” she stated. “He doesn’t remember who I even am.”

“That doesn’t mean that he won’t remember in the future. Pieces will come back to him eventually.” The berserker noticed a change below. “We should get to it, they will begin to notice our presence. Do as I say and we’ll get out of here alive.”

Bra caved. “Fine, I will take the East.” She zoomed away from him. The princess cursed herself. This wasn’t going the way she wanted it to at all. She had planned to tell Goten how she felt, but there wasn’t time for that.

As she got closer to her target, all she could do was feel angry. A scream echoed around her as she fired her first blast. All Bra could think was that this was their fault. If these people weren’t around, then she could have Goten to herself. The princess wouldn’t feel awkward… at least that’s what she told herself as she plowed through a crowd of people. She justified each kill by thinking of the pride her father had instilled in her. Bra wasn’t going to allow herself to be weak again. No one would step all over her. She was a saiyan princess and everyone would respect that fact or parish.

Blood fell from her hand as she made each blow, the training she received from her father had given her the power she needed. It was funny, for years, she mocked his lifestyle only to embrace it now.

Goten flew back over, his side of the city was taken care of. As he looked down, he saw a glorious sight. Bra was covered in blood, but he could tell that it wasn’t her own. A cocky grin was on her face as she sliced through each of her enemies with precision. The berserker growled low in his throat, never had he seen anything so…beautiful. Her eyes were shining, glittering like sharp jewels. It was almost as if her stare alone could cut down her adversaries.

Bra flew up, clearing her section of the city. Her hands went to her hips as she looked at Goten with a smug look. “I told you, I can take care of myself.” But as she said that a blaster fired, hitting her in the back. She cringed from the pain. Who had she missed? But as she bit the side of her lip as a distraction, a thundering snarl filled her ears. She held her back as she turned. Goten was no longer next to her. Instead, she found him on the ground. Her attacker was in his grasp, before being mauled in the worst way imaginable. As she watched him though, the princess didn’t feel disgust. She began to smile…

The berserker snapped his teeth as he flew back up. The city was empty now, he made sure of it. Goten was surprised that Bra was still in the air though. As he flew up to her, he found that she was bleeding. He snarled, forcing her into his arms. “Let’s get back to the ship. There’s some healing serum there.”

Bra nodded, but looked away as she blushed. She could smell blood on him from the battle. The princess found herself looking up at him as he held her. His eyes were severe again. “I’m sorry…”

“What are you apologizing for?” Goten asked, but kept his eyes in front of him. The last thing he needed to do was crash.

“I got in the way…” Bra began.

“You took out half of the city on your own. It wasn’t bad for a first mission.” The berserker answered, finally smiling down at her. “You did look like you belonged there.”

The princess stared up at him. She didn’t think as she placed her arms around his neck. Goten stopped flying, he felt confused by her gesture. Bra remained red in the face as she ordered him to go back to the ship. The berserker did what she asked, only to feel puzzled as she tried to stand up. “Goten, put me down.”

“Let me get the serum first.” The berserker answered. His eyes remained on her as he grabbed it from a cabinet inside of the ship. They didn’t have to worry about anyone coming after them. Almost all of the planet’s population was in that city, no one would follow them.

Bra took the bottle from Goten and drank it. Soon after, she felt a warming in her back as her wound began to heal. “Are we going back now?” the princess asked.

Goten took a deep breath. “Why don’t we just talk for a while?” It would be better if he relaxed himself before he told her everything.

“What do you want to talk about?” Bra asked.

The Son answered her, but cursed himself as the words left his lips. “Why do you like Uub?”

Bra cocked her head to the side. “Where did you get an idea like that?” Goten’s head perked up at her words. “I wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole. He looks at me like a piece of meat…” The princess cringed. “He’s the last man I would ever consider.”

The berserker sighed in relief, but had to curse his lips once more as another question fell from them. “Then what kind of guy do you like?”

The princess turned red, averting her gaze as she did so. “He’s hard to describe really.” How did she get in this predicament?

Goten wanted to growl, so there was a guy. The half saiyan wanted to know who his rival was. “Then enlighten me.” It didn’t matter who this person was, he would fillet them alive if they even tried to take her from him.

Bra sighed. She figured that this would be the best way. “Goten, can you close your eyes for a second?” He gave her a strange look, but relented. The princess looked over his features. This was the man she fell in love with. Just one kiss would be enough for her. She figured that he would be mad, given their past, but Bra just had to know. She leaned up as her heart began to beat out of her chest. The princess was sweating as she finally found her courage and locked lips with him.

Goten’s eyes flew open. In front of him, Bra had closed her eyes as she kept her lips locked with his own. His dread began to fade as he felt his eyelids fall. The berserker allowed his lips to move against hers, making sure that he did his work as softly as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her.

What felt like electricity jolted up and down Bra’s spine. Never in a million years did she think that Goten would be kissing her back. She put more into the kiss, allowing it to deepen. Her breathing became rapid as excitement filled her. Never had she wanted anything more in her life. His lips pulled off of hers and trailed down her neck. The princess was in a state of bliss as the berserker began to lick the side of her neck. “Goten…”

As if on cue, the spell was broken. Goten popped off of her neck. The berserker was stunned. What had just happened? Bra blushed as she stared back at him, neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Goten walked away. Going to the computer and putting in the order for the ship to return them to the base. “Goten?” Bra said his name once more, hoping that he wasn’t regretting what just happened.

As the ship began to fly upward, the berserker headed back to her. His eyes watched her, noting that she looked worried. Goten took her hand in his own. “Tell me that you really want me.”

Bra turned redder. “I…” She pulled her resolve together. It was time that she stopped hiding her feelings from the world. “I like you…I like you a lot.”

Goten smiled back at her. If he had been walking, it would have been on air. “Thank Kami.” She gave him a confused look. “I don’t know what I would have done if I had a rival.” His free hand came up and touched the side of her face. Bra allowed him to drag his fingers up and through her hair. “You know, Trunks is going to kill me when he finds out.”

Bra leaned closer as the ship began to go into hyperdrive. “I don’t think he would stand a chance.”

The berserker smirked… then frowned. “Your father then…I doubt that he’ll be happy when he recovers his memory.”

The princess giggled. “Goten, it was his idea for me to come out here. I think he actually likes the idea of you being with me.”

Goten felt like he had been hit with a train. Even if he had Vegeta’s blessing for now, that didn’t mean that blessing would be permanent. As she cuddled into his side for the ride home, he kept himself in check. If he was going to prove that these feelings were more than an attraction based on looks, Goten knew he needed to treat her with respect. The berserker wouldn’t push her into anything. He was going to treasure her existence and treat her like the queen she truly was. Bra giggled as his fingers tickled her skin, but all he could imagine was one word...Mine.

* * *

 

Turles was waiting in the hanger when he saw a ship come in. He knew who it was immediately. His brother had to be coming back from his mission. Turles wondered why it had taken Raditz so long. There was no reason for him to be gone for almost 2 weeks. Did his absence have anything to do with his betrayal?

The spy felt uneasy. After his chat with Goten, it felt like a wall had been put up between him and Raditz. His older brother had gone a little quiet, causing the spy to wonder what the bomber had planned for them. It hurt to think that Raditz was a traitor.

As the bomber came off the ship, he found Turles working on some cables. “I didn’t think you would be out here,” Raditz stated. He figured that Turles would be on a mission or somewhere near Mata. “You preparing for a mission?”

Turles shook his head. “No, just seeing if there’s a way to upgrade the ship.” Everything felt awkward. He was a spy, but here he was letting his emotions get in the way. Turles was loyal to the horde. Raditz had turned his back on them for Frieza…the main thing he wanted was answers.

“Okay…” Raditz felt as if something was wrong. Turles wasn’t looking at him at all. Normally they would joke around after one of them came back from a mission. “Is Mata pregnant?”

“What?!” Turles jumped at his brother’s irrational thought. Not that he didn’t want kids with Mata, but this was hardly the time or place. Then there was their age that needed to be taken into account.

“You’re just not acting like yourself,” Raditz stated. The bomber walked around punching in some numbers into a computer. He needed to reorder some parts. “Is it trouble in paradise?”

Turles growled. “It’s not your business.” Really, what kind of fool did his brother take him for?

Raditz blinked at his brother a couple of times, then looked away. “Yeah, I guess that’s right.” He turned and left the hanger, leaving Turles with his questions.

Why did Raditz leave him with something like that? It just didn’t make any sense. Figuring that he would get some answers if he just followed him, the spy began towards the building. Once inside, Turles thought to check Raditz’s room, but it appeared that he had gone to get something from the mess hall. Turles got close to the doorway, only to be stopped by Mata. She gave him a questioning look as she noticed his target. “What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain later,” Turles said. “Look casual.” The two of them walked in together, only to hear as Negi planned out a trip for him, Onuin, and Raditz.

“Now that I know everything works, how about we find some girls for the night?” Negi proclaimed. He looked really excited about going out and partying.

As Onuin agreed, Vegeta, Tarble, and Cilica walked in. The three of them had been training in the absence of Bra and Goten. “I bet there are all kinds of beautiful ladies willing to throw themselves at us.”

Raditz looked up, he didn’t feel all that hungry. Inside, he felt like garbage…how many times did he lay with that girl from the patrol? The bomber had stayed too long on his mission as he rolled around in the dirt with her for hours on end. He didn’t want to go out, far from it. “You two enjoy yourself.”

Utensils were dropped as all eyes went to the bomber. “What was that?” Negi asked, not believing his ears. Raditz was always up for going after the ladies.

“I’m just not in the mood.” It was the truth; his head was throbbing as a new pain came over him…separation. At that point, Raditz knew what he had done. Something about her sparked an interest in him that was beyond the normal romp. They had talked a little after they finished up. Never before had he given anyone an insight into his mind. But at the same time… he wanted to listen to her. Even small things, like her family, were interesting to him. “I think I’m just going to go to bed.” He stood up and left, feeling very confused about the way his body was reacting. Hopefully this melancholy would fade soon.

Back in the mess hall, the entire horde were beyond confused. “Is he sick?” Tarble asked.

“He has to be!” Negi snapped. “There’s no way a player like him would turn down a night on the town like that.”

Turles felt uneasy. Did his brother know that he knew of his betrayal? The spy knew better than to bring this up here, but Mata opened her mouth next. “What if he’s in love?”

Hysterical laughter filled the room as they thought of that idea. “That’s…you know that’s impossible,” Onuin said as he laughed.

Mata remained serious though. Raditz appeared depressed, but it was a lonely kind of depressed. She giggled to herself, causing everyone to stop laughing. “So, how much would you like to bet on it?”

Negi rolled his eyes. “There’s no way that someone like Raditz is in love. He’s just probably tired from his mission.”

“I hate to agree with Negi, but I just don’t see it,” Turles said crossing his arms. If anything, Raditz had to be depressed that the spy knew the truth. “Raditz doesn’t believe in love.”

Mata pulled her mate’s armor down so that they were eye level. “So, you are making a bet with me?”

Before the night was finished, everyone had bet against Mata. Each throwing in a ridiculous action as her prize if she won. The sniper couldn’t help but think that she would have the last laugh though.

Although, it had her thinking. What could his mystery woman be like and how did she ensnare the bomber? It looked like she would have to wait and see.

To Be Continued…


	36. Chapter 36

Goku had gone back to the ship. He just needed some time to himself. Now that he knew his son was the berserker, he just couldn’t help but wonder where he went wrong. Did he do something to make Goten hate him or did Vegeta turn Goten against him? Jealousy filled Earth’s hero as he remembered how fondly his son had talked about Vegeta and the other members of the horde. Back when Goten was a boy, his son clearly looked him to him as a hero, but now it looked like he had been replaced.

But like this, Vegeta was a villain. A dangerous killer that would take out a planet without a second thought. The way his rival was now, made him a loose cannon in the wrong hands. It made it harder for Goku to accept this. The fact that his son looked up to this darker version of Vegeta over him made him feel angry. What was so great about Vegeta that Goten had agreed to train under him?

Goku looked over, finding his eldest son reading what appeared to be a journal. “Where did you get that?” Earth’s hero asked.

Gohan sighed. “I found it in Goten’s cell. Apparently, it belongs to Raditz.” He noticed his father’s lack of interest almost instantly. “There might be a clue here. Uncle Raditz doesn’t appear to be too loyal to the horde.”

“What?” It wasn’t as if Goku was going to not believe what his son was saying. Raditz had already proved himself to be a danger to those around him. He had already given up on his eldest brother. He would focus on his son and Turles. They appeared to have some decency.

“I just went through a lot of parts where he believed that the others betrayed him. It’s not their faults that they left. Sure, he was traumatized when he was a child, but I don’t understand how he could fault them all for leaving,” Gohan stated. The situation regarding his uncle was grim. It was no wonder why Raditz was insane.

Goku couldn’t help but wonder what his son was talking about. “What trauma?”

“He doesn’t state it clearly, but something happened between him, Zarbon, and Frieza. I just need to see if he’ll spill.” Gohan flipped through the journal, noticing a new name within its pages. “I think I just found the beginning of Goten.” As he began to read the entry where his brother was kidnapped, Gohan couldn’t help but feel depressed. Goten didn’t put up a fight at all. It was as if his brother had given up.

Goku stared at the book his son was reading and felt cold. He had no idea that Goten thought so lowly of himself. That had to be how the horde got to him. Although, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of pride when Goten took out Negi and Onuin. Who knew Goten would have that kind of fighting instincts? From the sound of it, his son was made to be a fighter.

Gohan kept reading, only to stop as he made it to the last entry. Both he and his father froze at Raditz’s plan. He didn’t expect anything like this from the uncle who had tried to kill him all of those years ago.

Goku felt his blood turn to ice. No longer was this just about his son or Turles. “We need to find Raditz before he…”

“I know, Dad…I know.”

* * *

Goten was sweating as they returned to the compound. The prince was going to murder him. He was certain of that.

Bra had cuddled against Goten on the way back, but there seemed to be something on his mind. She couldn’t help but wonder what it was. After they had confessed their feelings, she thought that everything would be fine, but now that he was being quiet, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

Vegeta stared at the two as soon as they entered the mess hall. “Boy, we should get some training in…bring the girl.”

Bra stopped in place, then realized what had to being going through Goten’s head. Goten was afraid of her father. She could see that. The saiyan prince was a demanding presence. She was so surprised that her father got so much respect around here. Now she really wanted to see her father in action.

Goten became pale as he followed Vegeta; he could sense Bra behind him as he walked to his doom. There was no way that the saiyan prince would be okay with him and Bra. Vegeta was bound to skin him alive. At least he got to figure out who he was before he died.

Vegeta could sense that the boy was on edge. He chuckled to himself, the half-blood wasn’t an idiot; his apprentice had proven that more than once. “Why don’t the two of you sit down over there?”

Goten sat down next to Bra and waited for the blow that would kill him. He hoped that it would be quick, but knowing Vegeta, the saiyan prince would want to take his time with him.

Bra looked across from her father with a puzzled look. Why did he call them in here? He looked very serious for some reason. She noticed that Goten looked nervous, what could all of this mean?

The saiyan prince sat down, figuring that now was the time to speak. “So, how about the two of you tell me the truth.”

“What do you mean?” Bra asked. Did this mean that her father was remembering his past?

Vegeta stared at Bra. “Are you my daughter or not?” He just had to know. If he was wrong, he didn’t know what he would do. The idea of the blue haired woman belonging to someone else pained him.

Bra’s eyes filled with tears. “You remember.” She leaned into her hands as she cried. “I’m so sorry, Daddy…sniff…I should have never said that.”

Vegeta felt confused, but relieved. This was his little girl. As soon as he knew that, more memories returned. Bra’s birth, sitting through tea parties, a little girl growing up into a young woman, and finally one sentence hit him. ‘I hate you!’ The prince flinched as he remembered their final words, then he wondered why she was here if she hated him. His eyes stared at her as she sobbed. She had just said that she didn’t mean those words…that was hard to believe, but here she was. If she hated him, then why did she come this far?

“I was…I wasn’t thinking…all I wanted was for you to notice me…sniff…I let other people dictate what I thought of you…I should have never done that.” Bra pulled her face out from behind her hands. “I didn’t just lose you that way…sniff…I lost myself.”

Vegeta finally smiled back at her. “I wondered when you would figure that out. You’re a saiyan, a princess to the universe’s finest warriors. You lost your pride, then everything else left with it. You have no idea how proud I am that you’ve found that once more.”

Bra smiled through her tears. “It would have helped if I knew about that.” She let out a small laugh.

Vegeta sighed. “There’s no point in hiding it now. I didn’t know how you and your brother would react. Back when you were little, the two of you looked at me like I was a hero, but that was far from the truth. I was a killer of worlds…I still am.” He felt angry that Frieza had tricked him. He never planned to return to this kind of work, even if he was good at it.

“We would have understood you better if you told us,” Bra began only for her father to silence her.

“Don’t be mistaken, even back then, I enjoyed my work. I worked under Frieza, while taking sick pleasure in the death of my enemies. I still have no qualms with killing, the only thing that’s changed is that I had someone to fight for.” A sad smile came to his face. “A blue haired woman, who would get in my face, even though I could destroy her with my bare hands. Most would be scared to get too close to me, but your mother pushed herself into my life. Before her, I never imagined being a father. Hell, I didn’t want to be a father after Trunks was born.” Vegeta looked up at the ceiling. “I wanted nothing to do with the brat as I called him, but as time went on, I grew attached to him and your mother, until the day came when Bulma and I got married. Years later, we made the decision to have another child, but unlike the first time, I was actually happy about it. But as I was content, I began to wonder what the two of you would think when you knew who I used to be. I believed that you would hate me.”

Bra shook her head. “We could never really hate you, Dad. We just wanted to know you and we felt like we weren’t getting anywhere.”

Vegeta sighed. “I know that now, but if I told you back on Earth, how do you think you would have responded?”

Bra turned red. “I…I probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

The prince half smirked. “Then I’ll have to thank that slime ball for this experience…fantastic.” He looked disgusted by that thought.

Bra laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.” She could think of a thousand ways that she wanted to torture the frost demon that had taken her father away from them.

Vegeta then turned his eyes to Kakarot’s son. He could imagine what the clown was thinking right now. Who would have thought that Son Goten would be capable of such things? Kakarot was not going to be happy when he found out how he had pulled the berserker out of his son, but looking back at it, it needed to be done. Goten had no confidence, now he was a fine saiyan warrior. He remembered training the boy when he was a child. Back then, Goten showed the makings of a great soldier. Some nights, Goten never wanted to go home and it disappointed the prince when he found out that Kakarot had not tried to train the brat, but that probably had to do with the harpy. “So, what are your intentions with my daughter?” Vegeta couldn’t help but look menacing as he said it. He wanted to test the boy, even if he already approved of him.

Goten turned red. He had been waiting for this. Now he was going to die. “I…” He was already squirming under the prince’s gaze. He wanted to change the subject. “Aren’t you going to kill me for lying to you?”

Vegeta shook his head. “You had your reasons. Besides, most memory altering drugs cause shock if everything is forced. I probably wouldn’t have believed you anyway.” The prince smirked. “Are you going to answer my question?’

The half-blood sighed. “I intend to stay by her side.” He decided that he wanted to look at Bra, so he shifted around in his seat. “I know that there’s no one else in existence for me.” He gave her a half smile as her eyes glittered up at him.

The prince chuckled, making the boy jump. “I guess that’s to be expected. I don’t want this to get in the way of your training.”

Goten and Bra stared at Vegeta in confusion. “What are you talking about, Daddy?” Bra asked.

“Bra, do you know how long I’ve worried about you ending up with some human loser? The idea of our heritage disappearing has been one of my greatest worries.” Vegeta looked over his apprentice. “So now that you have chosen yourself a proper warrior, I cannot deny you your choice of mate.”

Goten paused. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re okay with me being with Bra?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re my student. I’ve watched you grow up. Sure, you’ve made your share of bad decisions, but who am I to judge?” Vegeta stood from his seat. “Of course, that isn’t my only reason. I did take bloodlines into consideration.”

“Bloodlines?” Bra asked. She was already happy that her father had agreed to let Goten be her boyfriend, but she couldn’t help but wonder what he was talking about.

Vegeta chuckled. “I expect an heir.” Both Bra and Goten’s jaws dropped. “Hear me out. I only wish for a strong child that will carry on the legacy of your people. It’s not a hard request to fulfill.”

“Dad, I’m 16,” Bra began.

“I know that, but it’s something to keep in mind as you stay together.” Vegeta smirked.

Goten felt relieved. “I don’t think he’s asking too much. We have time.”

“There is one other condition.” The two of them stared at the saiyan prince. “The child that is born must have black hair.”

Bra gaped at her father, while Goten laughed. “We’ll try.”

“Now, I think it’s time that we told the others about all of this.” The prince motioned for them to follow him out of the room.

As they made it back upstairs, the rest of the horde had just finished eating. Bra felt as Goten took her hand and led her over to grab some food. Vegeta was smirking to himself as he sat down.

Mata was gushing. “Are they really together?!”

Vegeta chuckled. “Yes, but in the future, I would consider her rank before you do anything.”

“Her rank?” Negi said, looking at Onuin in confusion. “What about her rank?”

“It appears that Frieza has lied to us. We were never in those tanks to begin with,” the prince explained. He could see that Turles and Raditz were the only ones that weren’t shocked. Raditz had to know from the beginning and Turles was smart enough to have figured that out. “We lived those 30 years out of those tanks. We were just made to forget.”

“That’s how Negi and Onuin got so weak,” Tarble said, making the two fighters growl.

“What evidence do you have of this?” Cilica asked. She believed the prince, but at the same time couldn’t believe that she had forgotten part of her life.

Vegeta pointed at Bra. “She’s my daughter.” Mata, Negi, Onuin, and Tarble looked completely shocked. “So, when you were trying to set her up with the boy, you were really setting up the princess of all saiyans.”

Mata shook her head. “We…we didn’t know…Prince Vegeta…”

The prince stopped her midsentence. “I do not oppose the match. Now that my memory has returned, I still welcome it. Earth has a lot of weak trash on it. It’s actually a blessing that she chose a son of Kakarot.”

“Then what happened to us?” Negi growled. Once he found the person that messed with his hair, he was going to kill them.

Bra walked over with Goten. “If you want, I ran into your families at the patrol, I can tell you about them.”

Mata stared up at her. “We had families…all of us.”

Bra giggled. “Well, yeah, you and Turles have three daughters. Your middle girl works for the patrol.”

Mata began to shake as Turles walked over and put his arms around her. She couldn’t believe it. She had three children…with her mate. She stared at Turles and he only smiled back at her. His eyes looked watery as he was holding back tears. “Parle…” As she said the first name, her oldest came to mind.

Turles smiled back. “Bercu…” He had had some of the pieces, but this was best news he had gotten in a long time. He was the father of Mata’s children, there was nothing better than that. “Pinrut…” He purred as he said the name of his youngest. The little girl couldn’t be older than ten.

Bra couldn’t help but smile at them. “Does anyone else want to know?”

“Tell me who messed with my hair then?” Negi growled, then flinched as he remembered who he was speaking to. This was the princess, he couldn’t be his usual self.

“Probably your wife. Rouge is a piece of work, at least that’s what Polar said about her. You have six children with her.” Bra said, thinking it over.

Negi was stunned. “I…I have six kids…” Then there was the fact that he had cheated on his wife with that red woman. He cringed as he thought about it, whoever his wife was, she wasn’t going to be happy with him. “Describe her.” At least, he could try to conjure an image of his wife for those moments.

“Oh, she’s a strange one with red skin and this blue Mohawk,” Bra said, then asked. “Why do you look so pale?” Negi couldn’t believe it. Was that woman that he slept with his Rouge? He remembered that she called him Kasi, as well as the fact that she seemed to know every place he liked touched. That woman was his wife. Now he felt relieved. “Of course, she didn’t believe that you were a killer at the patrol. You kept your life a secret from her.” Bra giggled. “She didn’t even know your real name. Also, she said something about you being a trophy husband.”

Negi turned red. “I stopped training…when I met her, I retired from fighting…” Bits and pieces were coming back now, but it would take time for everything to come back.

“You were a trophy husband?” Cilica couldn’t help but laugh. “What kind of warrior would be happy with that?”

“Apparently, me,” Negi said, staring at his hands.

“From what I know, Uncle Tarble and Onuin married princesses,” Bra stated. “But their daughters have to be some of the most stuck up girls I have ever met.”

Tarble sighed. “They’ve probably been spoiled.” He was relieved to know that he married a royal though.

Onuin on the other hand was blown away. “I married a princess?”

“She’s a queen now. From the sound of it, you retired like Negi did.” Bra pondered something for a second. “Then again, you might have done that to take care all of your children.” She looked up at him. “You have 50. She told me that normally a large portion of the eggs her kind lay die off, but it seems that the saiyan DNA kept them all alive.”

Onuin seemed proud of that fact. “Well, our kind are strong warriors.”

Cilica giggled. “From the sound of it, they must be spoiled brats.” After she spoke, she went quiet. Bra hadn’t said anything about her yet. “So, what about me?” She waited, wondering who she ended up with.

Bra stared at the thief. “You married Special Agent Polar.”

Cilica froze in place. Sure, she had a crush on the detective…but she never thought that she would actually marry him. “You…you’re lying…”

Bra shook her head. “No, I know I’m right. He’s been working non-stop to find you. That’s why Nappa has to look after Flambee.”

Cilica pondered that name while the others questioned the fact that her father was alive. Her brain remained fuzzy as the picture came into focus. A baby boy half frost demon, half saiyan…her adorable baby boy. Her Flambee, he couldn’t be older than 5.

After that, a short memory came back to her. The night she was arrested by Polar all of those years ago. What started as a routine arrest turned into a night of passion between them…which ended with them dating, then marrying.

Cilica couldn’t help it as she began to cry. “I want my baby…”

Mata stared at her friend, rarely did Cilica get shaken up. She moved to hug her as Vegeta spoke up. “So, now we know what we have to do.”

“What is that?” Tarble answered.

“It’s time we put that plan of ours into motion,” Vegeta growled. “Using the intel we got from the patrol, we can find out who the real mastermind behind this is. Frieza isn’t that smart, so we need to find out who is pulling his strings.”

“Then we take them out,” Turles snarled.

“It’s the only way that we can return to our families,” Tarble said.

“So, let’s get the ball rolling.” Everyone looked over at Goten who had remained quiet till now. “We start with Frieza’s army, then branch out. If we play our cards right, we can get everything we need.”

Bra nodded. “If we put a virus in Frieza’s system the same way we put one in the patrol, we can track any communication between the two parties.”

Vegeta looked proudly at his daughter. “I thought being a saiyan wasn’t cool?”

Bra turned red. “That’s before I knew what I was.”

The entire horde began to speak as Vegeta motioned for his daughter to follow him. Bra followed him out of the room, making one last glace at Goten. Her boyfriend was engrossed in the planning process.

“I know that you probably won’t like this,” Vegeta started, passing her a vial. “This is dangerous. Do you really think you can handle it?”

Bra took the vial, knowing what was inside of it. “I’m the princess of all saiyans, if I can’t handle a little fighting, then what good am I?”

“That’s my girl.” Her father smirked as she downed the vial in one go.

“I have to get stronger. It’s the only way I can make sure that you get back to Mom.” Bra felt pain in her lower back, but ignored it. “She misses you.”

Vegeta sighed. “As I miss her, even as my mind was foggy, patches of her would come though from time to time.” He grinned as Bra fixed herself. He wasn’t a fan of her tail being that color, but what was he going to do?

Bra smiled at her father as the blue tail wrapped around her waist. “I believe we have a mission to complete.”

Vegeta smirked. “That we do.” He would make sure that his daughter made it out of here. Both she and Goten were the future of the horde. As long as they lived, then his legacy would prevail, he only wished that he lived long enough to see it for himself.

To Be Continued…


	37. Chapter 37

Raditz sighed to himself as he looked over the horde. They were so excited to prepare for this mission…but how could he even join them? He already had a mission here of his own. He couldn’t turn away from that fact. The bomber decided to help them the best he could. Once the ball dropped they would know the truth, from there, there would be no going back.

The bomber thought of Grenaade. There was nothing he could do with her either. His heart hurt. Falling for someone wasn’t part of the plan, but all of this was necessary. Turles would never forgive him…and he was fine with that. Raditz had already thought through every step. Nothing would deter him from his task.

“Raditz?” Mata said, waving her hand in front of his face. “Are you going to help or not?” She giggled, still believing him to be love struck.

He nodded, before heading after his brother. Turles was in a room with Bra and the two were going over the virus that would be placed into Frieza’s system. “Need any help?”

Turles looked up at him for a second, and Raditz saw it. Distrust. His brother had already figured out his betrayal…which meant, he wasn’t the only one. “We’ve got it under control here.”

Raditz gave him a nod before leaving them behind. He didn’t pay any attention to the rest of the horde as he left the compound. He would make the excuse that it was for extra parts, but he needed to go and find someone. Without them, this mission of his would never succeed.

As he found his way to a pod, Raditz knew he needed to brace himself. Bonds were about to be severed…forever, but that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. It looked like he wasn’t going to make it back to his mate after all.

* * *

 

Goten shook his head as he looked over at Negi. The sweeper was still taking in the fact that he was a father. “How does it feel to be held down?”

Negi laughed. “It’s better than I expected.” He grinned at the boy. “I see you’re in the same boat. Really, Runt, the princess?”

Goten turned red. “Well, I do tend to aim high, Lightweight.”

“You can say that again, Runt.” Negi motioned for him to follow. “I believe I have nothing but girls. It would be nice to have a boy for a change.” His eyes stared at Goten. “I bet if I had a boy, he would be a lot like you.”

“Why would you say that?” the half-blood asked. It was strange, now that the horde knew about their lives outside of Frieza’s army, they seemed more determined than ever.

“Knowing my wife, she probably wouldn’t have let me step in to train him. Mainly because she wouldn’t know what kind of warrior I was,” Negi stated. “He would have been lost, without a horde, and wanting more than I could give him.”

“Do you think you would have just let him flounder like that?” Goten asked. He opened the training room door with a grin.

“Part of me would have come clean at one point…but it puts things into perspective. Your parents were probably scared. From the sound of it, your brother was forced onto the battlefield. There wasn’t a choice,” the sweeper pointed out.

The half-blood shook his head. “No, if that was the case, I would have been forced to fight as well.”

“I don’t think so. Your mother probably had to live with your brother being in danger. She would have wanted something better for you. That and I can only imagine where my children are right now.” Negi sighed. “Things change when you become a parent. You’re no longer in control of your own life. Someone else comes first. Kakarot and your mother had to think what they were doing was the best they could do for you.”

Goten still shook his head. “No, my mother wanted a scholar just like my brother.” Nothing could convince him that he was wrong. “I was kept from my heritage for a reason, they just didn’t think I was good enough.” Deciding to end this conversation, the half saiyan changed the subject. “Now come on, I want a good fight.”

Negi shook his head as he watched the boy run ahead of him. “You really don’t know anything about the world, do you, Runt?”

As they walked into the training room, Goten got into position. No one could be slacking with the mission ahead of them. It would be Bra and Turles’s job to prepare the device. The rest of them needed to train.

Negi prepared himself. He already knew just how strong Goten had become. The power difference was staggering. It was kind of funny. He used to despise this boy, but really, he had become more like a younger brother. The sweeper grinned as he watched the boy that was now a man power up. Negi felt old as Goten went super saiyan. “How do you do that anyway?” After Vegeta had done it for the first time, the sweeper really wanted to know.

“It’s hard to explain. I know that the power comes from anger, but I didn’t get my power the same as everyone else did. It just happened when I was 7 years old,” Goten explained.

“Anger, huh? You know, I’ve been married to the woman for 20 odd years and I can name multiple times I was angry,” Negi said as he dove forward. He planned to grab the runt’s leg, but Goten was too fast for him. The boy twisted around, grabbing Negi’s foot instead and tossing him at a nearby wall.

“You’re going to have to do better than that, Lightweight.” Goten crossed his arms. He had to be imagining it, but it seemed like Negi was even weaker now that his mind was focused on his family. “You need to get stronger if you want to see them again.”

“I know that,” Negi answered, rubbing his shoulder. There was an aching pain that he hadn’t noticed before. He wasn’t a spring chicken. At some point, he retired and settled down. Going back to fighting without building up his strength had taken a bit of a toll on his body. After Frieza was gone, the sweeper would make it up to his wife.

“Hey! Get your head in the game!” Goten dashed forward, grabbing his shoulder and tossing him into the air. “Ground yourself!” He was growing frustrated. This wasn’t the same Negi he had fought before. “Forget that family of yours and get back to form!”

Negi snarled. “That’s easy for you to say! You hate your family!” He didn’t mean to snap the way he did, but the boy landed while glaring at him. The sweeper shook his head. It appeared that he struck a nerve. “So you don’t hate them?”

Goten turned his gaze away from Negi. “I want to hate them. I really do…” The image of his father’s smile came to mind, along with a few flashes of Gohan training him as a boy. Even his mother’s cooking came to mind. “I just want to know why they deserted me.”

“What if they didn’t?” the sweeper asked. “As I said before, you don’t know the whole story. There had to be a reason that you were kept from training.”

“Then why train another? Why was the place I wanted to be snatched from me without my consent? They could have asked…but they never did.” Goten snapped. Each time his family got brought up, it only brought his pain to the surface. Even with his memory of his first kill revealed… Goten just couldn’t find any closure. Maybe he needed to confront his father about Uub, but he wasn’t sure that would even work. The half-blood had been tossed to the side, like garbage… at least that’s how it felt.

“Did you ever bring it up?” Negi asked. The more he thought about it, the less he knew about the boy. Goten was like a little brother, but with the revelation of his past, the runt was a mystery. What was this Kakarot like? What could drive Goten’s mother to keep him from training? It was clear to him that things on Earth had to be more dangerous than he first thought.

“Like they would have listened.” Goten had had enough. He was being distracted. “It doesn’t matter now. All of that is in the past.” He pushed passed Negi and headed out of the room. He needed to check on the virus and speak with Vegeta. They had a plan to go through.

Negi shook his head as his shoulder stung. Maybe he could talk with Vegeta about the boy. Sure, Goten’s power was important to their plans, but he didn’t want to see the boy suffer any more than he had to. The torment of not having his father’s approval was eating him from the inside out. That was all well and good for a berserker… but Goten deserved better.

Looking back at the gravity room, Negi smirked. He would prove Goten wrong and grow stronger. The runt looked up to Vegeta. If he was able to master the power of a super saiyan, things would change. The boy was bound to listen to what he had to say then.

* * *

 

Goku looked over as he went over the journal with his son carefully. The two needed to know everything they could about the horde and Raditz’s writings were proving to be helpful. Earth’s hero was surprised with how well Goten was fitting in with the horde.

But even so, they were heart wrenching to listen to. He wanted to be the one there for his son to grow… he wanted to be the one that watched Goten become a man. It seemed that everything in his son’s life had been taken away from him by some cruel twist of fate. Every father wanted to be a hero in the eyes of their children… when had that changed? He was sure that he wasn’t in the same place Vegeta had been with his own children. Only now could he see how blind he truly was. Goten wanted him… no he needed him to be there, and as a father, Goku felt as if he had failed his youngest son. Goten wanted to fight. He had always wanted to fight and saw Uub as a rival for his attention. Goten felt like he thought he was weak…therefore, Uub had been the better choice. This was all so wrong. Chichi told him time and time again that Goten wasn’t training. That his youngest son didn’t like fighting and was focused on studying like Gohan had become. If only he had taken the time to discover the truth.

Deciding it was best to confront his wife with the information he discovered, he left Gohan to read through the earlier parts of the journal. Earth’s hero walked through most of the compound while he looked for Chichi. His wife was finally found talking to Pan. His granddaughter looked like she was in a pleasant mood for some reason. Pan wasn’t off the hook for spreading that lie to Goten. Lying about sleeping with his student made him angry. He could have seriously hurt Uub. Pan looked up at him and frowned. Her eyes looked away from him as she stood and left Chichi alone. The action was odd, but he wouldn’t question it. His needed this wife alone for this anyway.

“There you are, Goku. I think we need to talk,” Chichi said, almost giggling. Pan had finally come clean to her about her growing feelings for Trunks. Finally, she didn’t have to worry about her granddaughter’s future.

Goku sat down. “Yes, I think we do.” His voice was stern as he looked over at her, ready to unload the information he knew.

“It looks like Pan is moving on from Uub. Her eyes have found another. I will say this guy is a real catch this time. I’ll finally be able to sleep at night.” She smiled at her husband. “Well, at least when it comes to her.”

“Sleep?” Goku couldn’t help but wonder why his wife wasn’t sleeping. He did have problems sleeping after Goten left, but from the sounds of it, Chichi hadn’t been sleeping for a while.

Chichi sighed. “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since before Gohan was born. Everything just got so crazy.” She looked down. “I had to watch my little boy possibly get killed. I paced the house hoping and praying that both of you would come back alive. It was really the worst torture you could have inflicted upon me.”

Goku raised an eyebrow. “I needed Gohan’s help. It was a hard fight. If I hadn’t trained him, Cell would have won, and Earth would be dead.”

“I know that… but it didn’t stop the pain. I wanted to keep him safe.” Tears tugged at her eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost him.”

“But we didn’t…” Goku began, only for Chichi’s tears to fall.

“Only instead, I lost you. You left me behind,” the housewife said. “You left me to sit through my second pregnancy alone, only to come back for a tournament. All of that time away you were training. Did you ever think of me?”

Goku growled. “Of course, I was thinking of you! Why else would I stay away?”

“Bullshit!” Chichi snapped. “You left me behind on purpose! You always have!”

Earth’s hero snarled. “I was protecting our home! You know, so we can live. If you wanted the perfect husband, you could have married someone else instead of begging me! But, no, I had to be your whipping boy!”

Chichi froze as she looked down. “If you never loved me, you should have said so.”

“I didn’t say that,” Goku began, realizing he went too far.

Chichi pulled herself up slowly and headed for the door. “I wanted to protect him, Goku… but in the end, I failed as his mother.”

“Don’t say that, you’re a great mother to Gohan,” Earth’s hero stated, wanting to fix this mess. Was he really blind when it came to his entire family? He was looking worse by the minute.

“I wasn’t talking about Gohan. I did everything I could to keep Goten away from the fighting. I didn’t want to go through the horror of watching him come close to death. He pushed me time and time again, but I didn’t listen because I wanted better things for him. I wanted him to grow up happy and healthy, but all I’ve done is make a mess. I now have a son that resents me as much as his father.”

“I don’t resent…” Goku began, only to be cut off.

“Don’t lie to me. You’ve just said I turned you into a whipping boy,” Chichi snapped. “If you saw me as begging for marriage, then we really have nothing anymore. You pitied me.” The housewife started to walk towards the door. “I never asked to be pitied, Goku. I asked to be your partner…but that was never enough.” She left him alone as she took in the last of her sadness.

Goku stared down at the floor. Everything had come out wrong. His anger at his wife had faded. He thought she was being a control freak about everything. It never occurred to him that she was carrying this much anguish. Sure, he took Gohan out to fight when she told him no, but he had never considered that she was that worried about it. Had he really been that selfish? He wanted to show his kids what he knew, but in the end alienated his wife. Earth’s hero didn’t feel like a hero at all. First, he had lost his youngest son forever, now it appeared that he had lost his wife as well.

Goku stood up, he needed to go back to his eldest son before Gohan turned on him as well. As he made it back though, he found Trunks sitting in the ship. The boy clearly had something on his mind. Figuring it would do him some good to talk to someone friendly, Goku asked why Vegeta’s son had come by. Did Trunks want to spar?

Trunks flinched as he spoke though. “I wanted to talk to Gohan, actually.”

“Really, about what?” Goku asked. “We can always spar while we wait.” He didn’t know where his eldest had run off to. Didn’t Gohan say he was going to continue to read the journal?

Before Goku could think too much about it though, his eldest returned with some food. “I didn’t think I would come back to a full ship.” Gohan looked over at Trunks. “Did Dad tell you about the journal?” He figured that had to be why the heir was here.

Trunks shook his head as he turned red. “Umm, I don’t know anything about a journal. I came to ask you something more personal.”

Goku raised an eyebrow, as did Gohan. “What do you mean?” Goku asked, noting how red Trunks was getting. What could be so embarrassing?

“I…” Trunks decided it would be better if he looked Gohan in the eye for this. “I want to date Pan.”

Gohan’s smile faded. “You know, Trunks, I don’t think that’s wise.” He thought back to his daughter’s lies. “She still needs to learn her lesson about lying.”

Goku was going to agree with his son as Trunks sighed. “I think she’s been through enough. I like her, and she likes me… it’s nothing like the situation with Uub.”

Gohan growled. “It’s still a no. I don’t care if you like each other. There’s a bit of an age gap and Pan isn’t going to be allowed to date until I say so. She needs to grow up. Also, considering that Uub had to face my mother’s wrath due to her lies, she’s not getting off the hook that easily.”

Trunks stood, feeling angry. “So, you believe that asshole before your own daughter?”

“She’s given me no reason to trust her,” Gohan stated. “Going behind my back and slandering other people won’t be tolerated.” Goku could tell that this wasn’t going to end well.

“But here you are, slandering her.” Trunks glared back. In the back of his mind, it was almost as if his father was standing there, telling him to hold his ground. Now that he knew about how his father had fought for his mother, he wasn’t going to bow down and leave Pan to the wolves. “Just like you slandered your brother!”

Gohan couldn’t stop himself as he punched Trunks in the face, the young heir was pushed back, but it didn’t last for long as Trunks gained the advantage by knocking Gohan from his feet. Goku stepped in stopping the fight before it got out of control and destroyed the ship. “Trunks, you’ve gone too far. You’ve bad talked Goten as well.”

“And you don’t think I feel bad about it?! He’s my best friend and I failed him, but I’m not going to sit here and continue to wonder what I did wrong. Instead, when I find him, I’m going to apologize and see if he wants me back or not. I’m not going to continue to punish him for something that was out of his control!” Trunks snapped.

“He’s a danger to those around him! I need to know why!” Gohan stated. He hated thinking this way about Goten, but it was the truth. “Yes, I had it wrong that he was a man whore, but that doesn’t excuse him becoming a heartless killer! The horde and your father did this to him!” Raditz had told him as much in the journal. They had manipulated his brother’s mind. They used his brother’s sadness to make a monster.

Trunks snarled. “My father did no such thing! Goten was already a mess before that! Don’t go placing blame when you’re just as guilty!”

Goku growled. “Goten was manipulated…”

“My dad used to train Goten when you were dead! If Goten had a stronger mind, he wouldn’t be manipulated! This was our fault! Accept it!” Trunks snapped before turning his back to the two of them. “I’m going to find my father and my best friend. I owe both of them more than I ever gave them. Unlike you two, I can see through other people’s bullshit. You’re too naïve for your own good. How the hell did you even take on Frieza and Cell before?”

“You’re out of line!” Goku snarled as he tried to get control of the situation.

“Am I, Goku? You know, you could have always asked Goten about training, but, no, you took Uub under your hand ’cause you thought it would be fun.” Trunks’s eyes went to Gohan. “Don’t think for a second that I’m going to give up on Pan. I’m not going to allow you to turn your back on her like you did with Goten! She’s never going to feel alone again.” He stormed out, leaving the Sons with their thoughts.

Goku sighed. It looked like everyone was against him today. Earth’s hero stared down at his son. “Let him cool down. He’ll see the error of his ways soon enough.”

Gohan shook his head. “If he thinks I’m going to let him date Pan, he’s got another thing coming.” He couldn’t believe Trunks. There was no reason to go that far just to date his daughter. He shook his head as he picked the journal back up. He would prove to Trunks that this was all the horde’s fault. They were the ones that turned Goten against his family and friends after all.

To Be Continued…


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update. Both of us have been distracted by games today, and Jo did not tell me her computer was temporarily out of commission so I could post earlier.  
> -Pika

Trunks was grumbling to himself. He didn’t like the fact that he was rejected. Gohan was acting like a blind man… hell a blind man could see better than his friend could at the moment. Uub was a manipulative jerk and the heir was going to prove it. It didn’t matter what it took, he would make sure that Gohan accepted his need to make Pan his.

Meanwhile, Pan wasn’t happy with her father for the rejection. She knew that he didn’t trust her, but things had changed. Trunks wasn’t after her body. They weren’t rushing forward. They told her father about it this time… why couldn’t he accept her being honest? It just wasn’t fair.

As Trunks was about to go and find Gohan so he could try to persuade him, Uub walked by. The student of Goku looked over the pair with a frown. He had noticed Pan hadn’t been giving him any mind. Not that he found her appealing, it was just irritating how she had switched things up on him. One day she was all over him, now she was ignoring him. The youngest Son was giving all of her attention to Trunks now. He had overheard that Gohan wasn’t going to allow the relationship. It wouldn’t hurt to go tattle on the two for being so close.

The heir didn’t even notice Uub as he leaned down and placed a kiss on Pan’s lips. The two looked lost in their own little world and it sickened Uub to no end. Pan was his. She may have been used goods, but she was still his.

Trunks gave Pan a smile as he pulled up. “I’ll get him to change his mind, you’ll see.”

Pan giggled as the heir began to kiss at her neck. After everything that happened, she didn’t think she could learn to like someone again or at least trust them. But there was something about Trunks that made her want to believe in him. “You know if he catches you, he’ll try and kill you.” Her father and grandfather’s rejection was hard to swallow in more ways than one. Why couldn’t they try and trust her again? She wasn’t trying to hide anything this time.

Moments later though, they were found by her father and grandfather. Uub was standing next to them with a grin. Pan’s eyes narrowed. What was he trying to play at? He had tried to throw her away, he had lied about her to get back on their good sides, but in the end her family believed him. “Trunks, what did I say?” Gohan said, growling at the heir for going against his words.

Trunks glared at the entire group. His body wanted to throw down for some reason. It felt like a fight was the only way to settle this. “And what did I tell you? I’m not going to give up on her.” The heir was determined to show how much he felt for Pan. It didn’t matter how long it took, he would get through to Gohan somehow.

Goku planned to step between them as Gure ran in. Tarble’s wife seemed flustered. “Have you seen her?” the tech-tech asked. She looked worried for some reason.

“Seen who?” Pan asked. It would do them some good to get off the subject of her and Trunks. The last thing they needed was a fight breaking out on the space station.

“Tota, my youngest daughter,” Gure said in fear. She was looking under everything. “My guard wasn’t paying attention and she ran off.” The queen had never been good at looking after children. Usually it was nannies and guards…followed by Tarble. Nothing got past him… nothing. The title of assassin made more sense than it did before. It was no wonder that Gure never had to deal with anything like this.

Pan walked after the tech-tech promising to help her find her child, leaving Trunks with her family and Uub. The heir only smiled after her. With Bra gone, it was as if Pan was coming into her own. It was beautiful to see.

As Pan ran after Gure, Polar walked into the hanger. The frost demon looked to have a lot on his mind. “I didn’t expect all of you to be here,” he stated, looking at all of the saiyans. He wasn’t too sure about the human, Polar had already walked in on him deflowering Princess Uva…only to over hear him doing the same to Aura a couple of hours later. If Tarble and Onuin were here, this Uub would be a dead man.

“We were just leaving,” Goku stated, ready to pull Gohan away from the fight that was brewing between him and Trunks. He could sense the negative energy the lavender saiyan was sending his apprentice’s way. Goku just couldn’t believe it. How did Trunks believe Pan over Uub?

“About that, it appears that Frieza has some planets in mind. I can’t trust any of my own personnel to go after the rumors, so I was wondering if you would go check out the front lines for me.” Polar knew that this was a long shot. So far, only Bulma proved to be useful to him.

Goku shrugged. “I guess I can go. It will be nice to get out of this base.” His eyes went to Gohan, expecting his son to follow him. Gohan was looking at Trunks. Suddenly, an idea came to him. “How about the three of us go? We can talk about things on the way there.” They could get Pan off of Trunk’s mind as well as focusing on finding the horde once more.

The heir almost growled. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Pan here with Uub. “And what about him?” His eyes remained narrow as he stared at his rival. Trunks always wondered why Goten hated this bastard so much, finally he understood. Trunks would remember this hate, it would be important for when he found his best friend again.

“Uub can stay here. Someone has to hold down the fort,” Goku stated, they could trust his student with that. Besides, Uub as still recovering from his bout with…Goten. There was a stabbing in the hero’s heart. The last thing he wanted to think about was his son’s turn or Chichi leaving him.

Trunks grumbled under his breath as a pair of strange purple aliens passed by. The shortest walked up to Goku with a smile. “Are you Kakarot?” She had a rabbit-like tail, which was kind of strange. Her family didn’t seem very happy about her coming over.

Goku nodded. “That would be me.” He had no idea who this woman was, until he saw the bomb squad insignia on her jacket.

She had a letter in her hand and passed it to the one called Kakarot. “My names Grenaade. I was wondering if you could pass this along to your brother.” Goku and Gohan looked confused as the woman turned red. “I…”

Polar, who had run off to get them a ship number, returned to find the bomb squad leader fidgeting. “You need to be enjoying your time off. I can’t have a pregnant woman dealing with explosives.”

Grenaade turned redder as Goku and Gohan got the hint. Turles was taken, and Raditz was a bomber. It made too much sense. “Anyway, can you get that to him?”

Goku nodded as she left with her sister. Earth’s hero could see some disappointment from Grenaade’s sister. Maybe they thought low of Raditz? The pixie seemed to be worried though, telling Goku that Grenaade knew his brother’s plans. “Let’s get going. I want us to land before nightfall.”

Gohan followed, but Trunks stayed in place. “Are you even going to say goodbye to your wife?”

The pure saiyan felt confused. Chichi and him were fighting, but she would come out of her funk soon enough. “Nothing is going to happen to me while I’m gone,” Goku said. “Besides, both of us need time to cool down.”

Trunks wished he could have said his goodbyes to Pan, at least then he could have made her comfortable. Trunks sighed. Now he just to wait, hopefully this bad feeling he had in his chest wasn’t a sign of things to come.

* * *

Raditz grumbled to himself as he walked through the black-market streets of Vencarzu. It had been months since he made his last visit. It was strange. The last time he came here, he was with his brother. Goten ran into them, leading to where he was now. His once certain mind was now clouded by emotions that he never expected to feel.

His plan was a simple one. Even with it being simple, it was brilliant. With the horde turning their backs on Frieza, the frost demon wouldn’t expect him to turn as well. Frieza was counting on Raditz remaining at his side. The bomber didn’t know why though. Now that he was at this crossroads, it didn’t make any sense. Raditz was the one that was mentally and sexually abused by Frieza’s men, but that didn’t mean that he should be the trusted spy. Why was he chosen for that job?

Vegeta was a better fighter and tactician, but therein lies the problem of the prince seeing through manipulation. The same could be said for Cilica, Tarble, and his brother. Negi and Onuin were too stupid for the task, while Mata would never agree to anything like that. Raditz was the only option. He was the scraps. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s why he was the one sent to train with bombs. If he blew himself up, it wouldn’t be too much of an issue. He was easily replaced by another.

Raditz walked up to a nearby vendor. He tossed down a large amount of credits, getting the vendor’s interest. “How many of these do you have?”

The strange alien got out a box of 20-30 small bombs. Normally, Raditz would make his own, but there wasn’t the time. The final explosion in his plan would be of his own creation, but for now, this would work for the rest.

“I’ll take the lot; do you have any more in reserve?” The bomber wanted to get as many as he could. There would be no second chance on this fight. His plan had to be perfect the first time. It was the only way he could repay his family for his sins.

Toting the supplies back was a chore. Raditz didn’t want any of Frieza’s machines touching what he had. The frost demon may figure out what he was planning and stop him. No, he needed to hold on to that trust that Frieza had given him.

Raditz loaded the ship before taking off. He attempted to find his journal. If only he could write down what he was planning in more detail. Using paper meant that no one could hack into anything. The bomber now believed that his journal had been stolen. His mind flashed to his nephew. Goten was the only one who spent time in his room. No one else ever dared to come in and see what he was working on. They all thought they would walk in at the wrong time and blow up.

But if Goten had his journal, then that would be how Turles discovered he was a traitor. Raditz felt like he couldn’t blame the boy though. It was his own fault for turning his back on the horde. His anger and loneliness had taken him down a dark road where there truly was no returning. He could only hope that someday, Turles and his nephew would be able to forgive him. He even felt guilt for betraying the entire horde. None of them deserved his hatred, but he gave into what Frieza wanted, lending himself out like a tool. It was the moment of his greatest disgrace, and for what? Revenge? Revenge for what? It wasn’t like he told them about his turmoil. Sure, none of them noticed the pain he was in, but Raditz was good at hiding that pain. It came with the title of bomber. He needed to be cruel. His mind had to be a little messed up to take such a role.

As his ship began to speed into hyperdrive, he looked over his location. Raditz wasn’t going to the main base. The Cold Empire itself awaited him. The clock on the wall was ticking as he took a deep breath. Soon, this would all be over. His mind was already made up, but that didn’t mean there weren’t doubts.

The bomber thought of Grenaade as he fell back against a bed. The last time they met, he had looked into those eyes and fell so hard that he couldn’t think straight. Never had he imagined love would find him. A manwhore like himself had fallen in love. Part of him wished she was here. Their last goodbye wasn’t enough. He closed his eyes, thinking about the horde as well. There was no goodbye, but this was as it should be. No one would learn about his plan. They would all think it was just a coincidence. The horde would rejoice as their traitor fell in battle.

* * *

Pan looked over at Gure in confusion. She didn’t really know what to say to anyone else. The youngest Son wasn’t used to all of these aliens yet. Girls her age were different, and also two faced. Pan couldn’t help but wonder if she just needed to start hanging out with better people. Treating Bra like trash had been a wrong move. She wasn’t even sure she would see her best friend again. Then again, Bra probably wouldn’t be happy about her dating Trunks.

Suddenly, there was a giggle down a hallway and Pan found not one, but two small children playing with each other. Flambee was running around, while a small saiyan girl was chasing him. Her grandmother was watching them. A look of sadness was on her face. “Grandma?”

Chichi almost flinched at being found. She didn’t want any of her family to see her like this. “I found them playing in a control room and brought them out here. I hope you don’t mind.”

Gure sighed, before scooping up her daughter. “You’re a princess, Tota. You can’t be seen with commoners.” The little girl looked confused, as Flambee looked mad.

“My girlfrend!” the half frost demon stated, crossing his arms in defiance.

Chichi couldn’t help but giggle. “I don’t see the problem, Gure. They are just kids.”

Gure rolled her eyes. “He already has ideas like that and her husband has already been chosen. All tech-tech royals are like that.”

“So how did you end up with Tarble?” Pan asked, causing the queen to go red.

“That was different. Tarble was already a prince…” They could tell she was lying about something, but the queen ran off before they could get an answer out of her.

Pan looked back at her grandmother, only to tense up when she felt a ship leave. “It looks like Dad, Grandpa, and Trunks are leaving.” She looked down, she wished she had gotten a goodbye.

Chichi could see her granddaughter’s disappointment. Trunks didn’t seem like the type to just run off like that. “Goku must have not given him any time to find you.”

“Dad doesn’t like Trunks.” Pan shook her head. “Grandpa is just siding with him.” She felt like she wanted to cry. Why did they have to keep punishing her like this? “I…Grandma, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Chichi pulled her granddaughter into a hug. “I know you didn’t, Pan.” Tears began to fall from her eyes. It really was over. If Goku couldn’t even come and find her after she told him everything on her mind, then there was no fighting it. The love she thought they shared was gone. Chichi collapsed against Pan as she began to sob. Maybe Goku never loved her at all?

* * *

The horde was finishing up their plans when down the line, mission details came in. Many of them rolled their eyes, did they really need to go and do Frieza’s dirty work now?

Vegeta sighed, “We can’t show signs of us knowing the truth. If that happens, we’ll be exposed.”

The rest grumbled as they got their things together. Goten wondered where Raditz was, but figured he had been called on a mission, but didn’t say anything.

Before Vegeta left, Bra launched herself at him, pulling him into a hug. The prince blushed at the sign of affection, but allowed her to stay. Tarble and the others laughed at how his brother was dealing with his emotions. Soon, Bra let go of her father before kissing Goten. The horde whistled as the two pulled apart in embarrassment.

Mata and Turles were standing on a platform, he leaned down and kissed her. They were going on separate missions and this was normal for them.

Negi rolled his eyes. “You know, keep your tongues to yourselves.”

“Just because you can’t see your wife, doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy my husband!” Mata snapped.

The others got in their pods as the two argued. Bra was to be alone with Negi as Frieza didn’t know about her being at the base yet.

Negi grumbled. “You still don’t have to shove it in our faces.” He was kind of mad that he wasn’t scheduled to go out on a mission. He wanted a good fight right now. “And now you get to go have some action, it’s annoying. I’d take your fight any day over staying in this dump.”

“You know, you could not be selfish for a change. Try and show some fucking humility for once!” Mata shouted.

“Says the girl that mated with a man that’s under her class level,” Negi snarked.

“You’re the worst brother ever!” She stormed off getting in her pod in anger. She couldn’t believe he was still hounding her about that. The nerve of him.

Negi rolled his eyes. He would make it up to her later. Onuin slapped him on the back. “You really did it this time.”

The sweeper laughed. “I have to tease her somehow. She’s gotten too comfortable. Look after yourself out there, I don’t want to hear about you doing something dumb.”

Onuin sighed. “You know, your sister is right. You don’t have to be so mean about not having a mission.”

Negi crossed his arms, saying nothing else as the pods flew off. Bra looked over at him, noticing that he still wasn’t in a good mood and left him be. The last thing she wanted was to get on his nerves even more.

The princess smiled back up at where the pods left. She hoped that her father and Goten were going to be alright. “Did you want something to eat?” Bra asked, only to find Negi gone. It appeared that he went to go train. The princess almost giggled. She was really getting used to this saiyan thing… and she couldn’t be happier.

To Be Continued…


	39. Chapter 39

Frieza chuckled. Moves had been made and it appeared that his monkeys had gotten out of hand. It was time to put them back in their place. The frost demon moved, getting closer to a control panel. A button was installed just for this purpose. It was time that he used it. The dark blue button was pressed, bringing up multiple screens. Each held a different general at his disposal.

“Yes, Lord Frieza!” Each of them asked, knowing what his orders would be.

“My elite monkeys have betrayed me.” Frieza looked back at the screens that covered one wall. He had a full view of everything the horde was doing… it even included sound. “It’s time to eliminate them. The saiyan race has overstayed its welcome. Extinction will do them some good.”

He was saluted before the lines were cut. Frieza laughed as he sauntered back over to the video feed. He could see a young princess messing with some kind of computer chip. It was a shame it would never be used. The frost demon chuckled once more. “It looks like Vegeta has left that child of his here. How… unfortunate.” Dark thoughts came to mind. Sick and twisted thoughts of torture and carnal desires came to him. The saiyan prince should have known by now that nothing got past him. This would be the greatest punishment he would ever inflict. It was just too bad that he couldn’t see the prince’s face as he did the deed.

* * *

 

General Hoss turned off his screen with a grin. He gave the order to destroy the monkey that had just landed. This was his lucky day. The alrian could already see some of his men had greeted the saiyan below. Gunfire broke out as blood hit the ground. He was about to proclaim victory as the crowd of solders were knocked down, some killed instantly from the attacker.

“Open fire!” Hoss ordered, only for a long-range blast to head his way. He barely had enough time to get out of the way. Wide spread panic had erupted as the saiyan got closer.

Body parts flew through the air as men were gutted by the vengeful monster. Hoss could only look on as he watched his right-hand man be ripped in two. He couldn’t believe it. There was no way that only one saiyan could be this strong, he knew they were destroyers of planets, but this was insane.

Hoss backed up in fear, feeling as if he had lost the control of his bowels. A dark laugh filled the air as the dust around them settled. The man responsible for the death of his planet was standing in front of him. Hoss brought up his blaster firing some shots at the saiyan’s head. He continued to back away, feeling nothing but fear. This wasn’t right. He wasn’t the planned target. He wasn’t the one Frieza wanted dead… but even as he thought those words, he couldn’t help but feel as if that was the case.

A snarl ripped through the air as the prince of all saiyan’s aimed his hand down. He felt a bit confused. This man carried the seal of Frieza’s army. They had fired on him… a mixture of rage and panic flew through him. “Frieza ordered you to kill me, didn’t he?!” His voice grew with anger as each second passed. All he could think about was someone waiting for him back at the base. His daughter was in danger. After they had gotten back on good terms, the last thing he wanted was for her to be in Frieza’s clutches.

Hoss attempted to back away, only to have his leg grabbed and twisted off. The strange insect like alien cried out in pain. This was the savage that took down his entire race. In those eyes was nothing but hatred. “Please…I can give you anything you want…” Vegeta snarled at him. “Money? How much do you want?! I can give you…ah, AH!”

The prince sent a blast through that body, frying it to a crisp. Nothing was left of the general. Only a spot where his body once was remained. Vegeta walked away from where he was, grabbing a small scouter out of his things. He needed to get out message to the rest of the horde. Negi was with Bra, there was still time. The scouter had been reformatted by Bra, making it so they could only talk to each other. He only had to say one word for them to know what was going on. A safe place had been set for them to meet if they were discovered. “Pisces.”

* * *

 

Turles woke up from inside of his pod. He heard something beeping and took out the scouter Bra made. It was blinking. He listened to Vegeta’s message and cringed. Raditz had to have turned on them. Sadness filled him as he changed his coordinates. He hoped Mata and the others were okay. Just to be safe, he clocked in his own message, only to hear the sounds of other voices on the line. There he found Onuin, Tarble, and Mata all talking about the change. None of them had landed and were changing their course.

“Has anyone heard from Goten or Cilica?” Tarble asked over the line.

“No, they must have landed like Vegeta did,” Mata explained.

“Once we get to the safe place we can figure things out from there,” Turles stated, feeling a lot better about Mata heading to the safe place. His nephew was still under fire though, Cilica was another worry.

“Have we heard anything from base?” Onuin asked, feeling a bit worried. “Negi might not know, and the princess is there.”

Turles’s stomach dropped. How could he forget that Bra and Negi were back at Frieza’s base? Between Goten and Vegeta, no mercy would be given if something happened to Bra. Turles was about to speak when Mata chimed in. “Negi will be fine. All he has to do is find the emergency pods.”

“Yeah, as much as I would like to focus on them, we need to get to that moon,” the assassin stated. He was taking charge in the absence of his brother, Goten, and Cilica. Even if Goten was a child compared to them, the boy had grown into the new second in command without anyone arguing. Cilica had been fine with stepping down as well.

Turles leaned back in his pod as he cut the connection. There was so much to think about. He felt a cold place in his stomach as he thought of Goten. This was his fault. He had brought the boy to the horde. If something happened to Kakarot’s boy, would his younger brother ever forgive him? He didn’t even know his brother, but for the first time, he wanted to know that man called Kakarot. All of the security concerning Goten had to be for a reason. The boy’s power was great…even dangerous. It was almost as if his nephew was the perfect weapon.

The spy’s mind drifted back to Raditz. He never got his answers. Why had Raditz turned his back on him? Memories of their childhood came to mind. The bomber had been a shy child. Blowing things up was the only thing that seemed to bring him out of his shell. But that was the only thing that was beginning to stick out. There were nights where Turles would wake up in the compound and find his brother gone. What was happening to Raditz then? His brother would come back to the compound late the next morning followed by Raditz going to bed. It was like Raditz was staying up all night. Was he working on something? None of this made sense at all. Why didn’t Raditz just tell him what was going on? No matter how hard he tried, Turles just couldn’t find an answer. The bomber had been the only person able to keep a secret from the spy and it was nerve-wracking. Turles pushed his memories, finding an odd one from their childhood back on Planet Vegeta.

Raditz was talkative… he was laughing almost as if he was a normal boy. There was no insane edge to him. There was no almost haunting gaze to those eyes. Instead, there was a nearly bubbly child. One that liked playing pranks on their parents with him and waiting with glee for Kakarot to be born. What had happened? What had turned his brother against him? Did Frieza do something to take his brother away? Was there some kind of torture that Turles never saw?

It was in that moment when the spy came to the realization… the scraper never bothered his brother. It was like he was immune to the pain it caused. Did that mean his brother had been subjected to a pain worse than that? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He had failed Raditz. Back when he ran off with Mata, the spy left his brother behind. Should he have taken Raditz with him? His brother wouldn’t have been alone. Raditz would have had a life outside of Frieza’s army. Just made him wonder what else his brother was keeping from him.

The pod continued to drift through space, leaving him with more questions than answers.

* * *

 

Cilica growled as she snuck through a crowd of soldiers. Her arm was wounded, but it wasn’t enough to cause a stir. She had too much to live for to die here.

Instead, the thief began to think about ways to make herself useful. Information would be useful. Cilica was glad that Bra had given her a prototype of the chip. From here, she could gain control of Frieza’s computers for their benefit. The effects wouldn’t last long, but just enough to allow her to get some basic information.

The thief sped her way through the computer systems, changing flight plans for the frost demon’s ships as much as possible. This would gear them away from the place they were meeting. All she could hope for was that no one was followed.

Cilica downloaded a giant file. There was something hidden in Frieza’s computer system. It had to be filled with some plans for the future. She growled as she heard footsteps. Her pod was destroyed, but that didn’t mean that she was going to be a sitting duck. The saiyan planned to steal a ship for her trip. She just had to get rid of all of the guards.

She had already heard the soldiers telling their superior officer that she was dead. That was the job of a thief. No one was to notice her presence. Bra had shown her some of that ki control, allowing her to hide from the scouters that were scanning the area.

In the back of Cilica’s mind, she thought of her child and Polar. How much longer was she going to be away from them? The distance was painful, but she already knew that she couldn’t risk going back the patrol. Not until Frieza was a corpse would she relax. This time she needed to return to being in her past. She would make it back to Flambee. Her son would have his mother back.

The thief almost laughed as she thought of Polar. Her husband had to be having a field day at work. After all of the trouble she caused, she would be sure to give him plenty of attention. Cilicia couldn’t hold back the giggle of her grabbing his handcuffs like she had in the old days. Back then he had been so annoyed with her, but in the end, she was more than satisfied. Never did she think a man would follow her to the end of the world… especially a frost demon. Polar really was a testament to his race. He was the complete opposite of Frieza in every way. If only he was here right now. She would surely find a way to embarrass him like she always did. Polar really couldn’t take her anywhere… except their bed.

Cilica turned red at that thought. Would she ever return to him? If she didn’t get out of here, there was no way that would happen. Quickly, she grabbed the drive and pocketed it. She snuck through the building, finding a spare pod. The thief made sure to destroy the tracking device and got inside. She held her breath as she took off into the sky. As she reached space, Cilica took a deep breath. The horde was waiting for her.

* * *

 

Goten snarled as he was surrounded. He could tell what was going on. He grinned darkly, allowing the berserker inside of him to come forth. He was going to take out as many as possible.

Frieza knew he was a berserker. The planet was covered with soldiers. The numbers littered in the millions. The half saiyan flew around quickly, dodging blasts and bullets from active turrets. He couldn’t dodge them all, having a few lodge in his right arm. Goten felt no pain though. His power shielded him from such things.

He fought through the masses, taking out each soldier one by one. His body shifted to super saiyan, causing the weak to fly off of him as he pushed the energy off of him. He felt the souls of the dead grow around him, fueling more of his rage. Bra came to mind. His girl was in danger. A roar left his lips as lightening bounced off of him. Level two found him in an instant. Goten didn’t even think about it though, he only raged forward. His arms struck down more of his foes. Blood coated his armor as did the viscera of the fallen. His thoughts were jammed. His mind went blank as he flew upward, gathering his hands together, he fired a Kamehameha at the crowds, erasing them off the face of the planet.

There were more though, and he could see a missile set to fly towards him. Goten grinned, sending a barrage of blasts that way, causing the missile to blow up around those who were out to damn him.

A twisted laugh left his lips. The smell of death coated the ground below him. Goten’s rage was still building though. More were throwing themselves at him, only for him to end each life with pleasure. The berserker powered up a final flash, sending it down to the planet. He grinned as he watched the ground shake. The planet was enclosed in his attack, suffocating all below him.

The berserker waited, feeling each life come to an end before he landed. The pod he came in somehow survived is rage. Goten was about to laugh at the irony, when he noticed himself. He wasn’t level one or level two…how did he get to level three? He took a deep breath watching as his hair returned to normal. It probably wouldn’t do him that good if he looked like Uncle Raditz.

Goten got in the pod as the pain began to spread though him. His arm was numb. Some of his nerves had been caught with those bullets. He kept his breathing even as he found another bullet in his chest plate. That armor had saved him there. It was right over his heart. For the first time in his life, he was glad that the horde hadn’t been cheap.

The half-blood knew where to go. His mind went back to Bra. Was she okay? He thought of going back to get her, but knew that wasn’t going to do him any good. He would only cause her more trouble and he was wounded. That would be as good as walking into his grave. “Listen here, Bra…You can’t leave me yet… you’re going to be my mate, dammit.” The pain caused him to pass out as he reached space.

* * *

 

Bra sighed as she looked over the plans for the chip. She thought about some modifications when she heard a beeping. Quickly, she picked up the scouter that had been left behind. She listened to her father’s message and stood up. She needed to find Negi.

As she reached the hall though, the princess discovered that she was surrounded. Bra got into a fighting stance. She was going to have to fight her way out. The princess twisted around, knocking more than one to the side. They were just a lot bulkier than she imagined.

Bra was shocked as she was pushed against a wall and someone started dragging her by the tail. She cried out in pain, her mind flashed to Goten and her father, followed by Trunks and her mother. She had to get back to them. Bra tried to kick, but it was no use. “Let go of me!”

As she said it though, an energy blast fired, frying the man who was attempting to drag her away. Bra looked back, finding Negi standing there. “Get moving, Princess.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.

Bra got to her feet, helping Negi make it through each of the soldiers. They had to force their way out of the door and towards the loading docks. “Are there enough pods?”

“There should be.” Negi twisted himself around, elbowing one with his injured arm. He held it for a second, only to get punched into a wall. This was bad. The sweeper didn’t know if he could get them out of here.

Bra fired a ki blast knocking the last of them away from her. She walked over, helping Negi up. “Are you okay?” She could tell that he was in pain. The hall was clear now as she grabbed ahold of him. Slowly, she helped him get to the hanger, only for them to discover that there was only one pod left. “We’re going to have to share.” She rushed forward, placing in the coordinates. They didn’t have that much time.

As Bra was busy, Negi saw something that made his heart stop. Frieza was staring down at them with a sadistic grin. Not even thinking, he pushed Bra into the pod and hit the button that would send her off.

“How heroic of you.” Frieza chuckled, getting closer to the sweeper. More soldiers flanked him before surrounding the sweeper.

Negi forgot his pain. His body went into action. Everything that ever mattered to him flashed before his eyes as he cut down each person that got in his way. Rouge, his children, Onuin…even that runt Goten. He slammed his injured hand though the body of one man as his body felt a surge of electricity. Gold enveloped his body as he sped around the hanger, killing as many as he could.

Frieza frowned. “You monkeys don’t know when to die.” He jumped down, only to snarl as a blast hit his eye, leaving a massive wound. The frost demon fired a beam at the saiyan’s arm, causing it to finally give out.

Bra slammed her hands against the door of the pod. She could see the position they were in. Tears streamed down her eyes as the pod flew off into the darkness of space.

Back in the hanger, Negi grabbed his wound. He glared up at the frost demon. “You think you’ve won.”

“I see that you helped her escape. That won’t matter, I’ll hunt all of your families down in time.” Frieza laughed as he drew closer.

Negi thought of his wife once more. Mentally, he cursed as he knew where this left him. Memories flew through his head. He smirked as he thought of his children and wife. Onuin and him watching over their families as trophy husbands. They had enjoyed that ounce of retirement. His sister telling him off and the two teasing each other came to mind. He would miss her wit. Finally, he thought of the runt who lost his way. His smirk grew. His horde… his friends… his family.

Letting go of his injury, Negi fired one more blast, this time though, he felt something sharp and painful through his chest. He didn’t even had time to register the blood falling from him or how close Frieza was. All he could feel was a pain before darkness took over.

As he drew closer to that darkness, his last thought came over him. ‘Survive…everyone…do what I couldn’t…Mata…Onuin…my Rouge.’ Finally, his last breath came, welcoming him into death’s arms.

To Be Continued…


	40. Chapter 40

Goku couldn’t believe how boring their trip was. Trunks and Gohan were refusing to talk to each other, and when they did, it was only to growl at one another. Earth’s hero wished that the heir would see things their way, but just like Vegeta, Trunks was stubborn.

Finally, they landed on the moon of Tech-Tech. Trunks remembered Aquaria talking about how swampy their home world was, but this moon looked like it was full of nothing but sandy beaches. As the lavender saiyan walked towards the water, he couldn’t help but wonder if Pan would like to come here with him. It was one of those places that would be great for a honeymoon. There was a salty smell on the air. Trunks seemed to be the one leading as Gohan and Goku followed him. He was kind of surprised. No one was around. Why would Polar send them to a moon without any back up?

Goku pushed forward. “What would Frieza want with this place?” Palm trees covered some of the beaches along with some drift wood. He just didn’t understand. What was so special about this place? Polar made it sound like this was the place the horde would attack next.

Gohan looked over a map, only to face palm. “We put in the wrong coordinates.” The genius looked down at the gps, finding that they had been put in backwards. “This isn’t a moon of Tech-Tech, it’s a moon of Piscina.” He cursed himself. If he wasn’t thinking about Trunks and Pan, then this wouldn’t have happened.

Trunks was prepared to argue, when he sensed a familiar presence. He turned on a dime, running towards a ki he knew well. Goku and Gohan stared after him, until they sensed it as well. The lavender saiyan kept running finding a pod floating on the sea. Trunks dove into the water swimming towards the pod with urgency. He reached it, opening the pod from the outside. Sitting inside, he found his sister in tears. Her eyes were bloodshot as her gaze found him. “Bra?”

“Trunks!” The princess practically pounced on her brother. “What are you doing here?!” she shouted, only for them to dip under the water. Trunks began to pull her to the shore, but as she found the land her eyes filled with tears once more. Negi had scarified himself for her… how was she going to tell the others? What about Negi’s family? The princess looked around, finding Goku and Gohan, but the rest of the horde wasn’t anywhere.

“Bra? Are you okay?” Gohan asked, coming forward. Something wasn’t right. “Did something happen?” He thought she was with the horde. Why was she on this moon?

The princess fell to her knees as she sobbed. “Frieza…he found out the plan…”

“Plan?” Goku asked, lowering himself to her level. “What plan?” As he asked though, something rolled towards them. Earth’s hero stared at the small metal ball, only to feel dizzy. Bra had covered her mouth, but Trunks and Gohan had passed out. Finally, Goku succumbed to the gas, leaving him knocked out.

Bra stood, getting away from the gas. At first, she thought she had been followed, but instead she found her Uncle Tarble. The younger saiyan prince walked forward, giving her a questioning look. “I don’t know why they are here, the one with the purple hair is my brother.”

Tarble smirked. “I take it that one is Kakarot?” He pointed to the one who looked like Turles. It wasn’t hard to see the relation there. Bra nodded at him. “Let’s drag them over to the others. We can question them later.”

Bra agreed, dragging her brother. She was surprised that Tarble was pulling Goku and Gohan on his own. He was so short, but that hid his true power. “Who has returned?” She wanted to know the damage. Her father had sent out the warning. That meant he had to be alive… but they heard nothing from Goten.

Tarble sighed. “Besides me, Mata and Turles are here. Onuin arrived when I went to see if anyone else had dropped down.” He could sense sadness in her. “You’re alone?” The assassin knew that Negi had been with her. From the look on Bra’s face, this wasn’t going to be sit well with anyone. Negi was dead.

“I…” She couldn’t get the words out. It was too painful to say.

“Save your words for Mata then,” Tarble stated. If it was hard for his niece to say, then he wouldn’t torture her by having her recite the event on repeat. “I will gather her and Onuin. You can deliver the news then.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” the princess said. She could tell that he was taken aback by her words of thanks. Tarble must have not been used to being spoken to in such a formal way.

They reached the camp where Turles was waiting. He looked down at the newcomers with confusion, only to help Tarble restrain their hands and feet. “So, this is Kakarot?” He was shocked. His brother did look like him. The young man beside him was clearly Goten’s brother. “Bra, are you okay?” He could tell the girl was shaken. It had to be hard leaving Frieza’s base in a disaster like that.

Bra tried to nod, but froze up as Mata came over. She wasn’t alone though. Cilica and her father were with here. “Papa!” She launched herself at him, crying into his armor.

Vegeta was thrown by her actions. “A proud saiyan doesn’t…” he began, only for Tarble to shake his head. The prince wondered why, until he noticed that Bra was alone.

Onuin had wandered over and was looking around. “Where’s Negi?”

Bra tensed up against her father. She didn’t want to say it. The sweeper’s sacrifice was too hard for her to grasp. Vegeta grasped what had to have happened and cursed. “Bra, you need to calm down. I want to know everything that happened.”

Mata looked up at Turles. What was going on? Where was that idiot at? Her gaze went back to the princess as Bra turned to face her. Something about her eyes made the sniper’s heart drop. She began to shake her head. This wasn’t possible. Her mind flashed back to her last words with Negi. Her brother had been teasing her… “Don’t… don’t say it…” Mata was shaking as she backed away.

Onuin still didn’t get it. Had Negi hit a snag on the way here? He looked back at Bra, only for his body to go numb as she spoke. “I’m sorry… Negi… There was only one pod. He pushed me in… before Frieza.”

Mata fell to her knees. “Frieza…”

Bra took a deep breath, she needed to steady herself. “He took out all of the guards… He took out one of Frieza’s eyes… went super… and, and…” She couldn’t get the last word out. Her throat closed up as she tried to speak.

Onuin walked away from the group. He let out a loud howl as he finally broke down, the tree next to him was ripped in half as he caved to his grief.

Turles wrapped his arms around Mata, holding her tightly against himself. Her tears stained his armor as she sobbed loudly. Vegeta gave him a nod, telling him to take Mata away from here. Cilica was working on getting Onuin to another place as well.

The prince knew that they needed time to grieve, but they were still in danger. He would honor the fallen Negi for his actions. If it wasn’t for the sweeper, Bra would be dead or worse. He pulled her against him once more, only for his eyes to go wide. He hadn’t noticed that Kakarot was here. His oldest rival was knocked out, alongside his oldest son. Vegeta wondered when they arrived, but tensed as he saw Trunks. His son was sleeping from the gas. Did he have the same revelation that Bra had?

Slowly, Goku opened his eyes, finding Vegeta standing there with Bra. Immediately, Earth’s hero growled. “So, what did you do to my son?” Around him, Gohan and Trunks woke up.

“Dad!” Trunks said. He noticed that Bra had a blue tail, but chose to forget that. “Thank, Kami you’re alive!”

Vegeta breathed easier. It appeared that Trunks didn’t hate him. “I freed Goten, Kakarot. Any longer and there would have been a rogue berserker on the loose.” Leaving the earth saiyan and Gohan tied up, he walked over to Trunks and freed him. The prince didn’t think he would be pulled into a tight hug. “I thought you hated me…”

“I was a fool,” Trunks said, he looked at his father. “Why are you here anyway? We were supposed to go to a different planet, but made a navigation error.” He could tell that Gohan was staring up at him in anger.

Vegeta sighed. “When your sister was brought to us, it triggered my memory. Since then, my horde has been making a plan to destroy Frieza from the inside.”

“But we were discovered,” Bra stated. “There had to be a leak somewhere.”

Vegeta nodded. “All of us were sent out on missions with the intent of killing us off.”

Goku heard those words and looked around in panic. “Where are Goten and Raditz?” They were the only two missing from their numbers. One the earth saiyan knew was heading towards his own death, the other was unknown. Had something happened to his son? He wouldn’t forgive Vegeta if Goten was dead.

Turles returned with a frown. “Cilica is sitting with Mata. She’s cried herself to sleep.” He didn’t like this at all. He was still suspicious of Raditz. The fact that the bomber had left the group before the chaos had to mean something. “Do you know who blabbed?”

Vegeta could see a depressed look on the spy’s face. “I believe you know the traitor.”

“We all know that Raditz is insane. He worships Frieza. I believe that he knew about all of this ahead of time,” Turles answered.

Goku was going to jump in, but Gohan beat him to it. “Uncle Raditz wouldn’t do that. He liked Goten too much.” Turles and Vegeta stared down at the genius. “When my brother came to the patrol, he left a journal behind. It belonged to Raditz.”

Turles was intrigued. “Explain where he is then?” He wanted to believe his brother was better than a traitor. “Goten isn’t enough for him to change.”

“But Grenaade is,” Goku stated, he noticed that his brother was looking at him funny. “I have a letter from her. Raditz and her are in a relationship.”

Turles felt his jaw drop. It couldn’t be true. He began to search Kakarot’s shirt, in there he found a paper letter. That was like Raditz, his brother didn’t trust hacks. Slowly, he read the letter, finding that it was written like a love letter. A soft smile came to his lips as he got to the end. It appeared that Raditz was going to be a father. This was joyous news… if only he hadn’t found out at such a dark time. “Just thinking about a playboy like him being a father is just rich.” A light chuckle came from him.

Vegeta prepared to speak as Bra stopped in place. Her eyes darted to the nearby beach, only for her to bolt from his side. The prince watched his daughter look up as a pod dropped into the ocean, sending waves up around it.

Everyone watched as the pod opened and out flew Goten. The berserker looked around as he landed on the beach. He didn’t have time to sense who was around him though. His arm still hurt from the bullets that were still stuck in skin, followed by the front of his armor being pulled down. The half-blood’s eyes went wide then closed slowly as Bra kissed him.

Trunks watched from his father’s side, growling at what he saw. He prepared to step forward, but Vegeta’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Leave it.” The lavender saiyan felt confused by his father’s words. “Your sister has chosen herself a warrior. I will not deny her that.”

Gohan and Goku watched as Goten pulled up from the kiss, nuzzling himself against Bra’s forehead. Earth’s hero felt some relief, his little boy was still alive.

The berserker walked over. “I’m really glad you aren’t a cheapskate, old man.” He pointed at the bullet that was lodged in his chest plate. Bra stared at him in shock. “I still need to get a few out of my arm.”

Vegeta glared at the boy. “Who are you calling old man?” the prince snapped.

Goten was about to retort when his eyes found Trunks. The two of them looked at each other and he could tell that his best friend… well former best friend, wasn’t happy to see him. “So, how were those reports?”

Trunks’s eyes softened for only a second. “I don’t care about those. When did you think it was a good idea to date my sister?!” the lavender saiyan growled.

The berserker was puzzled. “You haven’t seen me in months and you’re pissed that I’m courting Bra?” Trunks’s glare intensified with his words. “So, what. I love your sister, what are you going to do about it?”

The heir was about to get in Goten’s face, but Bra stepped between them. “Trunks, I can date who I want.”

Trunks felt a sting at that, but it had more to do with his own situation. “I guess I have to live with it…” He crossed his arms. “Not that I have to like it.” The lavender saiyan figured that it would grow on him. His father appeared to give his blessing. There really wasn’t much he could do to Goten.

Gohan cleared his throat, getting his brother’s attention. Goten looked over, finding his brother and father. Both were tied up. He blinked at them a few times. “Is everyone and their mother here?” the half-blood said, making Bra laugh for the first time in a while.

Goku noticed that Goten didn’t even want to look at him. It was like he was being ignored. “Goten…we need to talk.”

The berserker didn’t give his father a second glance. “So now you want to talk? Of course you would see some value in me now.”

“That’s not it at all,” Earth’s hero said. “I just want to know what’s going on in your head.” Goku wanted his hands free so that he could at least force his son to look at him.

“We both want to know,” Gohan continued. “For the first time in your life, let us in.”

Goten planned to walk away, but Vegeta held him here. “Think over their words and don’t make regrets. Mata and Onuin already have too many at the moment.” The prince noticed his apprentice’s confusion. “Negi has fallen.”

The berserker blinked. His head began to shake as he started to back away. Bra walked up to him and pulled him down into a hug. His anger had been starting to build, but as she clung to him, Goten kept himself in check. The sweeper had become like a brother to him. He half expected Negi to run through the trees and call him a stupid runt for believing such a thing. “He protected me. I… He took out one of Frieza’s eyes before he died.” She moved her tail around his in an effort to calm him. “Don’t lose yourself right now.”

Goten stared down at her, feeling wetness on his cheek. When was the last time he cried? The berserker couldn’t remember.

“Why not use the dragonballs?” Goku asked.

Goten growled, finally turning to his father. “Is that all you have to say? Life isn’t a game. Not everyone has a happy reset button! People die and don’t come back! Grow up and take some responsibility for once in your fucking life!” The berserker was panting as he finished his shouting. He could see that his father looked hurt by his words, but he wasn’t letting up. “He died a warrior’s death. Let him keep his pride and dignity.”

Goku finally looked away. It was strange. Before all of this began, he thought Goten was the one who needed discipline. Now, it appeared that was no longer the case. Earth’s hero felt a stinging in his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was pride or sadness. His son had grown up into a man… but he didn’t get to be a part of it.

Vegeta walked over, freeing Kakarot and Gohan from their chains. “Come with us. There is plenty to talk about as the sun sets.” This was a moon, there were no worries about tails right now. The prince could see just how dejected Kakarot was. He had pushed Goten pretty far, but in the end, the boy was right. The earth saiyan was too naïve about those around him. It was time that Kakarot learned the truth.

* * *

 

Raditz felt chills has he got closer to where he was headed. The rest of his bombs had been placed. Now it was time for the main event. His body trembled as he neared a fuel reserve. This place contained all of the backup fuel for not only Frieza’s army, but for the entire Cold Empire. His bombs had been set up in different supply stations. Raditz knew that what he was planning would shut down most of Frieza’s operation for a while. It would allow the horde time to escape from their former master’s vengeance.

As he climbed a ladder, the bomber thought of his family. Grenaade would be alone once more. His feelings for her ran deep, but he couldn’t think about that now. He had betrayed his horde, for that there came a price.

Turles crossed his mind. The brother that he spent so much time with. If only Raditz had told him the truth. The spy would have been mad, but in the end, Turles would understand why he had done everything the way he had.

Then there was Goten. His favorite nephew had the rest of the horde, he would be fine… at least he hoped he would be. Goten was a loose cannon. His nephew… the berserker had grown into a strong, capable warrior. There wasn’t more that he could ask for. It was strange that one person would make all of the difference in his life. He wouldn’t have even thought to do this if it wasn’t for the boy. Goten’s sadness reflected his own. Raditz never felt as if he truly belonged anywhere. His horde was his family, but at the end of the day, he was a loner. A man who used sex as a way to feel any sort of affection. His body had been cursed after Zarbon, why else would he torture himself with the scraper whenever he had the chance?

This was his life… and just like it had in the past, now was the time it came to an end. Raditz looked down at the fuel, wondering how it would feel to blow up like this. His first death had been pretty slow. Even if he was struck through the heart, it took him a while to bleed out. He hoped that it was instant this time.

Raditz’s mind flashed to the brother he would never know. Kakarot may have disappointed him, but his youngest brother had produced a child better than anyone could have hoped for. He just hoped that someday, Kakarot could see the value of Goten.

He held the detonator in his hand, the fuel was just sitting there in the vat. His hand shook. Fear was still inside of him, as it was with all living things. Everyone fought to survive and here he was attempting to die. It went against the natural order of things.

Grenaade came to him again. He thought of what life he could have had by her side. If Frieza wasn’t around, would they have done more than mated? Would they have had children? Would they have grown old together? The bomber had no clue. He imagined such thoughts, feeling warmth inside of him, followed by a crushing pain. None of that would happen. He would leave her side after this moment. Grief filled him… his horde wouldn’t mourn him. Raditz had made sure to hide his truth from them. Here he would die, and they would rejoice the death of the traitor among them.

The bomber shook before closing his eyes. He imagined the warm embrace of his mate as he placed his thumb on the button. Her beautiful eyes, all he could think about were those amber eyes as they bore into his own. The words I love you repeated over and over again when finally, he pushed down.

A loud explosion rocked the facility, the force sending shrapnel and fire through the air. Frost demons ran to clear up the damage, but the raging inferno was proving to be too much for them. Burning coated more than just the ground as a single, painful life came to an end. A suffering soul embraced the inferno, allowing it to seal his fate.

To Be Continued…


	41. Chapter 41

Goku and Gohan kept their eye on the camp around them as the horde moved around. They could see the growing grief from the group. One of their own had just died. Neither of them knew much about the one called Negi, but thought it best to remain quiet as the group mourned.

Earth’s hero was still trying to get over his son’s words. How much did Goten hate him? How long had this hate been stewing in his son’s mind? Was there any way he could fix it?

Goten looked over at his father a few times as Bra tried to keep his mind distracted from the grief. Trunks was with them and he could feel his best friend giving him the evil eye. The Son would have taken issue with the lavender saiyan, but it seemed that Trunks was trying to accept the relationship.

Meanwhile, Gohan looked over the group. He was still counting them. “Aren’t we still missing one?” His Uncle Raditz was still missing.

“If Raditz has not betrayed us, he will return soon enough,” Turles said. He was still having trouble believing that his brother was still on their side. Raditz didn’t need to be so secretive with him. Why wasn’t he coming forward with an answer?

“Not necessarily.” Gohan didn’t want to be the one to deliver such news. But as time continued to drift, it appeared that he was too late. It would be best to tell the horde everything. His words caught the group’s attention as he was soon surrounded. “You know that I have the journal that Goten left behind in his cell.” His brother glared at him, but Gohan continued. “In those pages, Raditz left a detailed plan for himself. One that would atone for his sins of betraying the group.”

Turles listened. He needed to know more. What was his brother thinking? Across from him, Kakarot seemed to know what his eldest son was talking about… the look on his face didn’t sit right with the spy. “Explain this plan then,” Cilica ordered.

Gohan looked to his father, who nodded back. He sighed. “I’m fully aware that Raditz is a bomber. Knowing this information, lets you see the insanity of his plan.”

“He went to a weapons dealer,” Goku stated. “He knew that he wouldn’t have enough time to make as many bombs as he wished on his own. He need a large supply as soon as possible.”

“Why would he need that many? My brother doesn’t trust others’ tech…” Turles began. He was about to write his eldest nephew and younger brother off when Gohan continued.

“Unlike most, Raditz knows where all of Frieza’s supply bases are located. Frieza thought what he had done would secure Raditz’s allegiance… or at least his fear of being punished,” Gohan said. The horde gave him looks that questioned his words. “I’ll get to that in a second. Anyway, Raditz plans to blow up every supply station, including the main fuel source for Frieza’s army.”

“That’s all the way on Planet Cold,” Tarble stated. “It’s a pretty long way from here.”

Gohan nodded. “Anyway, there was no way that he could get a bomb close enough to the fuel sight without it causing some kind of attention. In a place like that, it would take hours, maybe even days to set up the kind of bomb he wished to use.”

“There’s no way to set his plan up then,” Onuin said, feeling confused.

Vegeta looked over at Kakarot, noticing that the earth saiyan seemed to have a sad look in his eye. The prince’s eyes went wide. “When does he?”

“I don’t know. Neither of us do,” Goku said, getting looks from the rest of the group. “For all I know, he’s already gone through with it.”

“Gone through with…” Onuin started only to notice how pale Goten was. “Runt, are you okay?”

“He… He didn’t.” Goten found himself looking between his father and brother. “Tell me, that he wasn’t going to…”

Gohan’s face remained serious. “He believes it’s the only way. Frieza believes he’s on his side. Getting close to the fuel source would be easy. All he would have to do is hide the explosives on his body. There wouldn’t be time to remove them.”

Turles’s body went cold. “No, that’s, that’s impossible! My brother wouldn’t commit suicide!” He rejected the idea. Raditz had been dead once before and didn’t say he enjoyed the experience… his brother had a mate… and a child growing at the moment, why would he throw all of that away? It made no sense!

“If you don’t believe me, then read his words for yourself.” Gohan pulled the journal out of his gi and tossed it at Turles. “He knew it was the only way to destroy those supplies. He wanted to make sure that all of you had a running start.”

“So, he knew that Frieza was listening in on us?” Vegeta asked, now the bomber’s disappearance made sense. “Do we have a way of knowing if he’s gone through with it yet?” The prince turned to the rest of his cohorts.

Turles was still rejecting the idea. There was no way. His brother wouldn’t kill himself. Raditz was too proud to do something like that. Sure, there were secrets between them, but the bomber wouldn’t go to that extreme. The spy felt his mate hug him from behind as Tarble pulled up a newsfeed from space. His body went weak and he fell to his knees as the report was made. Fire, explosions, and fuel were said, followed by the words suicide bomber. Everything felt like it was crumbling. That last look of disappointment hit him over and over. He couldn’t hold it back as tears fell. His elder brother was dead.

Goku wished to comfort his brother, but found another saiyan was having problems with the news. His eyes went to Goten. The earth saiyan’s youngest seemed to be in shock. Goku planned to help, but beating him to his son’s side was Vegeta. The prince placed his hand on the berserker’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him. Tears began to stream down Goten’s chin as the boy shook. Bra put her arms around him, keeping that berserker back.

Gohan walked up to his father and put his hand on Goku’s shoulder. There was more to tell, but now wasn’t the time. He would wait until the grieving was over. At least, he planned to do that. Instead, Goten looked up at him. “Tell me, why did Frieza have control over him?”

Turles in his grief looked up. That was an interesting question. He thought that his brother just worshiped the frost demon. If there was another reason, he wanted to hear it. He needed another reason to go after that tyrant. “Yes, I want to know as well.”

Gohan sighed. He wasn’t sure he wanted to even tell them this. Such an act was too disturbing to think about. “Are you really sure you want to know? I don’t think he wanted anyone to know about that.”

“Now that you’ve brought it up, we can’t help but be curious,” Tarble stated. “He was one of our own. We have a right to know what was going through his mind.”

Vegeta crossed his arms. “At one time, Raditz thought to betray us. I want to know everything.”

Goku looked over at his eldest son. It appeared that there was no way around any of this. They had to tell the horde everything. “If he doesn’t want to say it, I will.” Gohan looked over at his father, feeling unnerved about what they were about to say. All eyes turned to earth’s hero as he began the story. “It all started when you were children. Frieza had a place for each of you, but at the same time Zarbon wanted more use out of you. He asked Frieza to have Vegeta or Turles, but Raditz overheard what Zarbon really wanted. So in that moment, my brother offered himself up to be the sacrificial lamb.”

“Lamb for what? What did he need Raditz for?” Mata asked only to find Goten pale as a sheet. The entire horde was staring at the berserker now.

“He… He didn’t…” Goten growled. “Where is this Zarbon?!”

“Zarbon was never brought back by Frieza. He’s been dead for a long time.” Gohan answered, looking over at Vegeta. The prince seemed to figure out where this story was going.

Goku sighed. “Anyway, Raditz felt dirty because of the things that Zarbon did. That alien would come and get him in the middle of the night and not return him till dawn.”

Turles’s eyes flashed. Finally, an image of what had happened was laid before him. His brother had been raped. The spy felt sick to his stomach. Zarbon wanted him… and Raditz protected him. Again, his body twisted in grief and disgust. How could he betray his brother that way?

“He never told anyone how dirty he felt. That’s why he looked forward to something called the scraper. He figured that it was both a punishment and a blessing,” Gohan stated. “Years went by and each of you left… leaving him close to the one person who wished to keep him. Zarbon had become very insistent on them being together. That’s when Raditz got the idea to go and find my father.”

All eyes went to Goku. “He never told me why he came. He was pissed when I refused to go back with him, then he stole Gohan and told me to kill some people or I would never see him again. I ended up teaming up with Piccolo to stop him. He died that day.” Earth’s hero felt a bit of guilt about that but it had to be done. His child had been in danger. “If Raditz never came though, Gohan never would have started training.”

“I didn’t know about that,” Goten said, feeling confused. He thought that his father had chosen his brother as a student.

“Dad wanted to, but mom was completely against it.” Gohan started to laugh. “I got kidnapped by Piccolo for a year. Mom couldn’t really say or do anything about that. And before I knew it, I was going to every battle… even if I really didn’t care for fighting that much. I just had things I wanted to protect.” Gohan watched his brother look away. It seemed that there were misunderstandings everywhere. 

“As much as I would like to finish this conversation, I believe it’s time that we put our dead to rest,” Cilica stated. She moved away from the group, grabbing not one, but two space pods. The thief knew that they had ships here, so using these wouldn’t be a problem.

Each member of the horde moved closer, a sharp rock got picked up from the ground. It was passed around as each member of the horde began to cut one of their hands open. Gohan, Trunks, Bra, and Goku watched as hand prints were added all over the pods. Names were written in blood, but in a language none of them understood. Sharp howls filled the sky as some left to gather driftwood, and other fished the shore line. Out came massive fish, cooked in one blast before being brought back to that place. The howling continued, some more disgruntled than others. Driftwood was placed around the pods as the power on them was disabled. Vegeta’s horde didn’t stop though. They knew they were being watched by Kakarot’s horde, but this was tradition. They didn’t have the bodies of the dead, so they could at least pay their respect.

When the wood was placed, and nightfall came, Goten was given the honors. Fire engulfed the dry wood, cracking loudly as it burned both pods to cinders. The berserker stared at the flames. All he could think about was his revenge. His fallen brothers in arms would not die in vain. Bra came up to him as the howls changed to roars. Her tail wrapped around his as she grounded his rage.

The food was passed around quickly, some not caring what parts were eaten. Nothing would go to waste this night. Turles stayed next to Mata. Both of them were in a world of pain, they had lost the most. The sniper was continuing to think about the last thing she said to her fallen brother. How could she be so cruel? She only had one brother and now he was gone forever.

Turles held his mate as they laid in some tall grass. They wanted to be alone. The spy felt his mate’s tears against his chest. “He went down a hero.”

“He should be here with us,” Mata said, feeling his hands rubbing her back. “What am I going to say to his family?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what to say to Raditz’s widow.” He tensed up, he hadn’t said anything about that to his mate yet.

Mata looked up at Turles. “What?” Did Turles just say what she thought he did? “Are you saying that I was right? Raditz was love sick?”

Turles leaned down and placed his head against hers. “Yes, it looks like it.” He purred against her, trying to calm himself. “They have a child on the way.”

Mata could tell how troubled her mate was. “Then the best we can do is make it out of this place and move forward. We can find her and learn more about the two of them.” Turles relaxed against her. “And then you can take me to the space opera, you did promise.”

Turles finally grinned against her. “Anything you want, you can have.”

“So, we can get a bigger house?” Mata teased.

“Within reason,” the spy answered. He wanted to sleep. It felt like this day had been a horrible nightmare. Turles just wanted to wake up and discover that this was all wrong. Negi and Raditz were alive, while the rest of them were on missions. But even as he finally fell asleep, he knew that wasn’t the case. This was reality and there was no going back.

* * *

Goten tried to remain calm as he looked over at Bra. She was asleep next to him and he could see that everyone had passed out. Deciding that he needed a walk, the berserker stood, only to notice that another pair of eyes were on him. Trunks was still awake. The berserker motioned for the heir to follow him and Trunks did just that. The two walked in silence for a while. What was there really to say? Everything had become awkward now.

Finally, Trunks decided to say something. “So, you got a horde now?”

“I see that you joined my father’s horde,” Goten stated looking up at the sky. This place would be beautiful to some, but he couldn’t get past what had happened. “I thought you didn’t like training anymore.”

“I did like training… but I lost my way. I got busy with the company and there wasn’t the time. I went through that phase of not liking my parents and never really came out of it,” Trunks admitted.

“You and me both,” Goten said. “At least you had more freedom though.”

“In some ways, my life was decided for me. I was to become the heir of Capsule Corp,” Trunks stated.

“Yeah, but you got to train with your father when you were a kid. You got to get in trouble and do what you wanted,” Goten argued. “I didn’t get to make that choice.”

“You could have said something to me. When did you stop talking to me?” Trunks said, looking up at the sky himself. “We used to talk about everything… what happened to us?”

“We grew up, and we changed,” Goten said. “You started focusing on work while I… I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore.”

“Why did you take drugs? You could have talked to me about it,” Trunks said.

“I don’t know. Part of me wanted to move on. I needed a distraction from my depression and I just started using as a way to escape. Bra helped me out in the end.” Goten turned red. The lavender saiyan probably didn’t want to listen to the berserker talk about his girlfriend.

“I just wish you would have trusted me more.” Trunks sighed. “I’m your best friend. You can lean on me for anything, but I wasn’t there when you needed me the most.” The young CEO kept his eyes on space though. “I don’t like being away from the patrol right now.”

“Why?” the berserker asked. He could tell something was on Trunks’s mind.

“Uub is still there. That lying piece of garbage has pulled one over on your dad and brother.” Trunks crossed his arms as he finally looked at Goten.

“What do you mean?” The berserker remembered that he had spilled the beans on Uub. His father’s student had been in one piece when he was at the patrol. Goten did wonder why that was the case.

“They believe him over Pan. She’s been treated like garbage for lying to them,” Trunks stated. “But I know it’s the truth. Uub led her on because he wanted someone else. Now Pan’s alone with him again. She may make a bad decision or something.”

Goten was prepared to growl when he noticed the change in Trunks’s voice. “Trunks, do you like Pan?” The berserker was about to laugh. If that was the case it would be a little comical.

The lavender saiyan turned red. “She’s my girlfriend…even if your brother refuses to accept me. He says she’s still being punished for lying about Uub being her boyfriend.”

Goten growled. “That slime ball has caused enough problems. I would think that my brother is smarter than that, but it appears that I was wrong.”

“So, you’re not mad about me and Pan?” Trunks asked.

“As long as you let go of me being with Bra,” Goten teased. “Anyway, why don’t you ask your dad about it? Our kind has all kinds of fun traditions. I bet there’s one that can help you out.”

“You know something, don’t you?” Trunks stated with a grin.

“Trust me, my brother may not have a choice.”

To Be Continued…


	42. Chapter 42

Morning came and just about everyone was ready to get to work. Training was going to be essential if they were going to go up against Frieza’s army. Goten could sense that he wasn’t alone as he went out to grab some fish. His father and brother were right behind him. “Can a guy fish in peace?”

Goku stared at his youngest son’s back. All he wanted was to try and figure Goten out. The berserker just didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Earth’s hero sighed, while his eldest placed his hand on his shoulder. “Dad, come on. Let’s leave him alone for a bit.”

Goku shrugged off Gohan’s hand. “I’ve done that far too much with him. If I don’t try, then I’ll never reach him,” the hero stated. He left Gohan behind, heading after Goten. His youngest zapped the water, bringing up several fish with each go. “Where did you learn how to fish like that?”

Goten glared at his father. “Don’t pretend that you’re interested in me. Go back to your real son,” the half-blood snapped. His father remained though. “Do you ever listen to anyone? Or is your brain too fried from all of your battles?”

Goku walked closer. His eyes looked up and down his son. “You know, it feels like yesterday you were still a little boy.”

“Don’t try that sappy shit with me, old man.” Goten’s eyes narrowed.

“I didn’t expect to find another child when I came back. I missed out on so much with being dead,” Goku continued.

Goten rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but that didn’t stop you from ignoring me later. I wasn’t what you wanted. You got yourself a perfect apprentice, even if he is a slime ball.”

Goku sighed. “I thought you didn’t want to fight. Your mother said…”

“Don’t go blaming her! You could have come to me, but you never did. If you truly wanted me, you wouldn’t have run off and forgotten about me so easily!” Goten growled. He grabbed his fish off of the ground. “I have a new family now. You don’t matter.”

Goku’s eyes lowered, staring at the ground. Waves of pain went through him. Flashes of a little boy hugging his leg came to mind. His little Goten thought of him as a hero…his hero. Earth’s hero shook, but didn’t go after his son. How had it come to this? How had he lost his little boy?

Goten kept walking, only to turn around and find his father gone. He scoffed for a second, grumbling to himself about how idiotic his father was…until Negi came to mind. What had the sweeper told him? To give his family another chance… if he didn’t at least try, would he be disgracing Negi’s memory? The berserker sighed and turned back, only to be surprised. His father was…crying. That was odd. Son Goku never cried. His father was a dimwit that didn’t even understand the first thing about pain…wasn’t he? The half-blood watched his father wipe his face dry and turn back. It was as if Goku was giving up. Goten felt a stab of pain in his chest. What he had just said to his father…those words of you don’t matter. They were the same words he thought applied to him. Was the berserker wrong? He sighed once more, looking down at the fish. If Son Goku had given up, then there was nothing else to do. They weren’t family. The line in the sand had been drawn. He should have been happy…but instead there was this grief inside of him that made him feel depressed. Why did it feel like he had just done something wrong?

Goten was about to go after his father, when he heard a set of growls from the campsite. He wanted to laugh. It sounded like Trunks was going after Gohan about Pan. This was bound to be entertaining. As he got closer, he found his father holding back Gohan. “I told you for the last time, Pan is not going to be your girlfriend!”

The berserker walked over to his master, standing next to him as Vegeta grinned. “I didn’t think the boy had such interests.”

The rest of the horde was whispering about a third class denying a royal. It seemed like something that was so unheard of for them. Trunks growled. “At least concede that Uub is in the wrong! Pan isn’t a liar!”

Goku growled. “That isn’t my apprentice and I would think that I know him better than you do.”

Goten walked forward. “You don’t even know your own family, what makes you think you understand that dirt bag?” His eyes were looking for an opening so that he could attack his brother for being such an idiot, when the prince intervened.

Vegeta walked between both parties with a grin on his face. “So, let me make sure that I have all of this right. My son wants the hand of your daughter and you are refusing her a saiyan prince and warrior?”

“Pan doesn’t need a boyfriend,” Gohan stated. “She’s not right in the head. If she thinks she can twist people’s actions around, she doesn’t need to have a boyfriend or be let off the hook.”

Bra walked forward, the arguing had woken her up. She looked at her brother. “You and Pan? Trunks, she’s my best friend!”

Trunks stared back as this sister and rolled his eyes. “Hello Pot, my name is Kettle.” He pointed to Goten, causing Bra to turn red. “I don’t think you have any room to talk.”

“Anyway, am I hearing the situation correctly?” Vegeta said with a dark grin on his face. Goku stared at the prince. He didn’t like the sound of this.

“Yes, you would be,” Trunks stated to his father. He was growling. His mind was still worrying about Pan being left alone with that scum.

Vegeta chuckled as Tarble walked up to him. “I believe that we have a good old fashioned Kafun Charenji,” the assassin smirked.

“A what?” Gohan asked, looking at his father only to find him puzzled as well.

“It’s a sacred tradition of our kind. If a father refuses a man who is after the hand of his daughter, then said man can challenge the father to do battle with him. If the eligible male wins, he gets the hand of the female in question. If the father wins, the decision is up to him,” Turles explained. “If the father isn’t around, usually it falls to the eldest sibling to take up the role in their father’s stead.”

Gohan looked back at Trunks. “I don’t have to agree to…” he began.

“Have you forgotten where you are?” Tarble said, flicking his tail back and forth. “You don’t have a choice. You will take the challenge from my nephew.”

Gohan’s eyes narrowed. “Like I have to listen to a small fry like…” Goten placed his hand over his brother’s mouth. Gohan looked at his younger brother in confusion.

“Forget what he’s saying, Tarble. Gohan will be a part of that challenge,” the berserker said.

Tarble grinned. “Make sure that brother of yours knows his place.” The younger prince chuckled as Trunks was dragged away by his father and Cilica. Bra was pulled along with them to start the training for the battle that would take place soon.

Gohan pulled his brother’s hand off of his mouth. “Goten! What the fuck! I don’t’ have to…”

“If I didn’t step in just now you would be dead.” The berserker left his brother’s side. “Tarble is an elite assassin. He may look small, but he’s deadly. It would be wise to remember that fact,” Goten stated.

Turles and Mata walked over. “It looks like we really got to work on training. Vegeta isn’t going to let up on his son until the boy is ready,” Turles said.

Mata sighed. “You should have just agreed to let the boy date your daughter. The royal family always gets what they want. It’s best to leave them be and follow their orders.”

Goku shook his head. “But there is no planet left. We may be saiyan, but that doesn’t mean we have to follow their rules.”

Goten chuckled. “You know, you’re wasting time.” The berserker was leaning against a pod as he watched them start up with the training. He rolled his eyes more than once. Gohan’s fighting style was so strange. It was almost as if his brother had lost most of his instincts.

“Trunks isn’t going to be a problem. I have years of experience on him,” Gohan said, taking down Turles pretty easily.

Goku looked at his oldest son with pride. “Gohan may be a little rusty, but he still packs a punch. He did take down Cell.”

Goten rolled his eyes. “Like that matters now.” Everyone looked over at the berserker.

“I know you don’t like this, but you could help,” Turles stated. “Families usually do help each other before a match like this.”

Goten’s eyes narrowed. “My power would be wasted here, Uncle. Basic training is beneath me.” Gohan sped over, almost punching him in the face. The younger brother dodged, grabbing the genius’s arm and twisting it around. “You’ve lost your edge.” He dropped Gohan on the ground, only for the older brother to swing himself around so that he could knock Goten to his feet. The younger brother fell, but used his tail to his advantage by grabbing Gohan’s leg, while he jumped to his feet. Gohan grabbed his tail though, allowing the genius to get out of the way of his brother’s attack.

Goku stood there and watched. He didn’t think Goten would have such instincts for this. Each hit that Gohan gave him, the berserker came back from without a scratch and with more power. It was strange, but it felt like he had seen this before…or at least felt it. In the back of his mind, the stage changed to him and Krillin. His best friend was trying desperately to keep up with him, but the earth saiyan kept coming out on top. As the fight progressed, Gohan changed, turning into each of his friends before solidifying himself as Piccolo in the hero’s mind. Goten never backed down. Goten didn’t surrender.

Both boys powered up, going beyond super saiyan. The ground was shaking as two powerful blasts were fired between the two. Turles and Mata ran to take cover as Goku ran between the two holding their blasts in place. Goku couldn’t help but smile as a bead of sweat began to fall down his face. It had been a while since a real challenge was presented to him.

Gohan stopped firing his blast when he noticed his father, but Goten continued on. The older brother could see a smirk on his brother’s face. It appeared that Goten got the challenge he really wanted. The genius had been shown up by someone without the experience. Suddenly, he was reminded of his cocky streak that ended his battle with Buu. He powered back up, ready to get stronger. His mystic form came in place as he stared at his younger brother. Goten grinned, allowing his power to grow. The younger’s eyes changed, going dark as the part of him that was the berserker came free. They dove towards each other, causing fissures in ground. Waves were forming in the ocean around them as the battle continued.

Goku looked between his sons and grinned. “Gohan, stand down.”

“But, Father…” the genius began.

“Your power is not enough for this fight.” Goku looked over at Goten. “You’re hiding all of your power. I sense that 2 isn’t your limit.” Earth’s hero smirked.

Goten felt a bit of surprise. His father wanted to challenge him. They stared at each other, before he finally grinned. “If that’s what you want.” He allowed more of his power to fill him, bringing out super saiyan 3. Gohan’s jaw dropped. “Is this what you want, old man?”

Goku grinned back, allowing himself to change to that form as well. “Why don’t we see just how powerful you’ve become?” Father and son dove forward, causing the wind to pick up, twisters appeared above the water as punches and kicks were thrown. It was like a hurricane was forming around them, sending debris flying. Goku didn’t know when the last time he had so much fun while fighting was. Both of them were moving at an unbelievable speed, only for Goku to feel a pinch of pain against his cheek. They kept going, dodging each other’s attacks, causing more problems with the moon’s weather as they went.

* * *

Trunks looked at this family. Bra was stretching as he tried to think up a way to beat Gohan. The older half-blood had a lot of experience over him. “Do you think I stand a chance?”

“Not if you keep standing there like an idiot,” Tarble said. Looking up and down his nephew. “What is your class?”

Vegeta chuckled. “Tarble, calm down. As long as Trunks trains properly, he can pull out a win.”

Trunks didn’t understand. “I know this fight is important, but shouldn’t we be focused with Frieza?” Pan was important, but considering that tyrant was still out there, was still something to be bothered with.

“Yes, he is,” Cilica said. “And we’re going to need more fighters to take out his army,” she said.

“But shouldn’t Goku’s power be…AH!” Trunks was cut off by Bra punching him in the stomach. When had she gotten so strong? Hell, when had he gotten so weak?

“We can’t just think about Goku solving everything. Someday, everything will fall to us,” Bra stated. “We can’t afford to be weak. You, me, Goten, Pan…we have to get stronger or we’ll never make it.”

“Your sister is right,” Vegeta said. “When we face Frieza’s army, we will be separated. Without the proper training, you’ll be nothing but fodder.”

“There’s no way I can get as strong as you though,” Trunks stated. Even if his sister had become stronger, there was no way anyone could reach the power of Goku or Vegeta or even Gohan. As he said it though, the moon shook. The lavender saiyan sensed who was fighting. Gohan wasn’t even a part of it…Goku and Goten were sharing equal blows. Neither father nor son had the advantage. Trunks began to wonder if he could be that strong. His eyes found his father’s, only to find Vegeta grinning at him. “Show me this power then!”

Tarble rolled his eyes. “Kami, you’re more indecisive than the kid was when we found him.”

“Do you do anything besides complain, pipsqueak?” Trunks regretted his words seconds later as Tarble had him pinned to the ground with a knife to his throat.

“What was that? I believe you called me something besides Uncle Tarble.” The smaller man chuckled.

“Tarble, he’s only a boy,” Cilica giggled. “Most people make that mistake upon meeting you.” She planned to grab the knife from the assassin’s hand, but ended up with his tail around her waist and in the same position as Trunks. “This isn’t funny!”

Tarble laughed. “I believe it is.” He tossed his knife and helped her up. Only he noticed that his brother was giving him a funny look. “What?”

Vegeta shook his head. “Forget it. Let’s get back to training.” If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn that he saw something there. The prince shook his head. To his surprise, Trunks came at him. “You want to challenge me, boy?” His thoughts were forgotten as they began to spar.

“I can’t reach you if I don’t try!” Trunks snapped, noting just how much the ground was shaking. “Are they going to break the planet?” He looked around for his sister. “Where did Bra go?”

Vegeta landed a hit on his son. “Don’t allow yourself to be distracted.” One thing that was surprising him was his son’s speed. It hit him that Trunks had to be a sweeper like Negi. “Focus on getting your hits in and try escaping. Build up your power and strike quickly.”

Trunks did just that, only to discover that he was clipping his father’s armor. It was as if his true power was being unlocked. One of Vegeta’s attacks hit him, but he didn’t really feel too much impact.

The prince thought over what he had seen. Trunks wasn’t a sweeper…he was a fast tank…a brawler. “I didn’t think you would be in the same class as Kakarot.” They dove around as he pushed the boy. Trunks must have been training with Kakarot. His movements were sharper. All he had to do was push him a little bit more. “Do this for Pan. You want a mate, fight for what you want and don’t let any man take it from you.” He could feel his son’s power unlocking. Trunks was on the edge, but they still had a ways to go. He knew they would need a couple of days to get ready for the battle. If things continued to go his way, Trunks would take down Gohan and gain Pan’s hand. He would have another opportunity to have a grandchild that looked saiyan.

* * *

Goku was pushed back by Goten’s fist. Things were getting interesting. “You really have grown up. I’m sad that I missed it.”

“Less talking, more punching!” Goten stated, as he powered up a Galic Gun. His father was preparing a Kamehameha. He was prepared to strike when Bra came running in. The berserker was distracted. Was something wrong? He landed, feeling his power returning to normal.

Goku sighed. They were having so much fun too. It felt like he had gotten his little boy back for a second. Bra seemed to be making sure that Goten wasn’t going berserk on everything though. Earth’s hero landed, his eyes found Gohan, who looked terrified. “What’s wrong?”

“When did… how did he…?” Gohan just couldn’t believe it. He knew that Goten had potential, but to think that his brother was this strong was insane.

Goku looked back over at Goten to find his son staring at him. “You’re not half bad, old man.” Bra giggled at how awkward the berserker was. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one that had to learn something out here. “Can’t say the same for you though. Gohan, what the hell have you been doing all of this time?”

Gohan rolled his eyes. “I’ve been working. You know, I have a job and a family to support.”

“If you cared about your family, you wouldn’t believe a word that Uub said,” Goten stated, crossing his arms. He was prepared for the barrage of comments from his father and brother.

“Don’t tell me how to look after my family!” Gohan snapped. “You were just a bum before this. You know how hard I have to work to make sure my family is taken care of?!”

“Satan has enough money for you to live off of. Working shouldn’t be an issue for you,” Goten stated, keeping himself calm. “You don’t even know your own kid. You’re just like Dad.”

“I’m nothing like Dad!” Gohan said, then froze. Both boys looked at their father, finding Goku stunned. “I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Am I really that bad?” Goku asked. He thought that his eldest still had some respect for him.

“It’s just that you never do anything besides fighting. Mom needs you to do something and you’re off. Money was always an…” Gohan began to dig into his father, only for a strange source to stop him.

“You’re telling him to be something he’s not,” Goten stated. His father stared at him in shock. “We’re saiyan. Fighting drives us forward. Dad couldn’t stop fighting if he tried. The call of battle lives in us and can’t be tamed.”

Goku turned red. Did Goten just call him…Dad? Gohan scoffed. “We don’t have to fight all of the time though. There are other things…”

“You sound like Mom,” Goten said. “You want to do things like a human or a namek…but that’s not what you are. You’re a saiyan too.”

“I’m half human!” Gohan shouted.

“While that’s true, you’ve allowed that side to take over,” Goten said, keeping their eyes locked. “Everyone always said that I was the one running away from everything, but that’s not true. I knew what I wanted. I just didn’t know how to get it,” the berserker stated. “I wanted to fight. I wanted to be a saiyan like my father before me!”

“What kind of aim is that?” Gohan snapped in his brother’s face, but was cut off by his brother’s words.

“If anyone’s running it’s you,” the berserker said as Turles and Mata finally stood up, dusting off the sand that coated them from his fight with his father. “You’re running to the safety of being human. You don’t want to face what you really are because then it would shatter the illusion that you’ve made for yourself. You’ve become weak and tossed away a part of you because it doesn’t fit into the perfect world that you’re hiding behind.”

“We live on Earth! Being a saiyan as you call it, doesn’t earn you anything! No food, no money, no recognition!” Gohan snapped. “It doesn’t matter what you do, someone will steal your glory anyway! So, I moved on. So, what! I made a name for myself on Earth as a human!”

“You let that human steal your glory. You could have taken it back at any time. But you haven’t. Face it Gohan, you’re a coward,” Goten snarled. “Hell, even our mother has more fight in her than you do.” Gohan attempted to punch his brother in the face, but Goten caught his hand. “Did I strike a nerve? Stop hiding and running. You’re a saiyan, deal with it.”

Gohan watched as his brother walked away from him with Bra. He turned back to his father to find that Goku wasn’t looking at him. “Dad…”

“You’re brother’s right.” Goku didn’t look at Gohan. “I tried to pretend to be human…but it wasn’t until I accepted what I was that I really started to understand who I am.” The older saiyan sighed. “I know I can’t change. I can’t be the person you or your mother want me to be. I can only be me.” Goten caught his eye. “And your brother can only be himself as well. I wish I could have seen that beforehand… I wish I could have been the one to train him.”

“Did you want to go watch my brother train?” Bra asked. “Dad is really putting him through hell.”

“He better, after the shit he put me through,” Goten said with a smirk. “Did you want to come…Dad?” It felt strange saying it, but as his father smiled, it truly felt like everything was right with the world…besides Gohan. His brother was still denying what he was.

Turles sighed. “I guess time is the only thing this one needs to realize the truth.” He grabbed Mata and headed out with the rest. He was very confused though. Didn’t Goten say his brother was a genius…it appeared that Gohan may be an idiot after all.

* * *

Night fell and everyone assembled. Gohan was sitting near his family, but he wasn’t paying them any mind as he ate. They were in need of more firewood and the two shortest horde members went after it.

Vegeta watched his brother leave with Cilica. They had always been good friends. Hell, in the past they did go on the most missions together. Of course they would be close. He brushed the thought away as Onuin spoke. “It’s too bad that my sister had to marry a frost demon.”

“Polar is really nice though,” Goku said. “I mean, compared to every other frost demon I met, he’s very agreeable.”

“She could have had a prince though,” Onuin argued, looking down at Vegeta.

The prince rolled his eyes. “We’ve been over this. She’s like a sister. There have been no and there will never be any romantic feelings between us.” Vegeta caught his children glaring at the large saiyan. “Besides, she lets me push her around. What kind of queen would do that?” Trunks and Bra stared at their father in confusion. “I mean, if a woman would shout at me for being some training nut even after I had an energy blast in her face and was threating her life, then things would be different. A queen’s real strength is in her presence. She won’t let any man control her.”

Goku laughed. “That’s Bulma alright.” Vegeta gave him a look. “What? She called me after you did that. I was deaf in the ear for a month. I did offer to take care of you, but she said that it was fine.” The earth saiyan smiled. “After Yamcha, she wanted a real challenge.”

“Cilica likes Polar…she has for a long time.” Mata looked around sheepishly, gaining everyone’s attention. “Tarble, on the other hand…” She covered her mouth.

“Mata? What do you know?” Turles asked. The hordes eyes were glued to his mate.

The sniper looked away and took a deep breathe. “Do you guys really mean to say that you never noticed?” She sighed. “It was so obvious. I mean, Cilica and Tarble did everything together. It would make sense that they liked each other.”

Vegeta felt stunned. “Then why didn’t he do anything about it?” He didn’t take his brother for a coward.

“Well, I would say that it was your fault, Vegeta. You never said that you weren’t going to take Cilica as your wife. Tarble didn’t want to step on your toes. He’s always wanted the best for Cilica, they’re best friends,” Mata explained.

“So, she could still be with a prince,” Onuin said, thinking it over. He needed something to do now that Negi was gone. “I mean, neither of them are really mated to their loved ones back home.”

Mata rolled her eyes. “Leave it be. Cilica loves Polar now.”

Vegeta had been ready to agree with Mata when she spoke. “Are you saying that Cilica shared those feelings?”

“Really? No one noticed? She never used to shut up about Tarble,” Mata said. “But as I’ve already said. Times have changed. Tarble is with Gure and Cilica is with Polar.”

Vegeta growled. This was annoying. If only his brother had said something to him. Things could have been different. Next to him Onuin groaned. The tall saiyan must have wanted this as well. Too bad that it wasn’t going to happen. The prince shook his head. They had a fight to witness in a couple of days. It appeared that Gohan had been abandoned. Kakarot was finally giving attention to Goten.  At least there were some things that were right with the world.

* * *

Tarble grabbed some driftwood off of the ground. Cilica was in front of him. “Next time, I’m pulling royal privilege. Onuin can carry more than I can.”

Cilica laughed. “Yeah, why did we volunteer for this again?”

“Boredom?” the prince said, looking up. “We’ll need to check the outside world soon. Frieza or the Patrol may be after us.”

“The patrol isn’t that bad. I did work for them,” Cilica said. “Polar is a top agent too.”

“You were lucky to run into him… me on the other hand,” Tarble said, feeling annoyed. He couldn’t help but hate Cilica’s husband, even if he didn’t show it. Gure and him were a farce, but his wife gave him the support he needed. The power he held excited him beyond measure.

The thief frowned. “I thought you loved Gure.” The assassin had never said anything about problems with his wife before. From the looks of it, the two always looked happy when they were visiting.

“I wouldn’t call it love. Royals don’t marry for love,” Tarble said, not looking at her.

“Vegeta did,” Cilica said, staring down at him. Why did she feel warm?

“My brother is different. Vegeta is picky, while I’m not,” the assassin stated, even if that was a lie. “I married to survive. That is all. I was provided power. That’s all I needed.”

The thief felt a pit growing in her chest. “Tarble…you deserve love…” The prince walked away from her though.

“I don’t need it though. I have everything I need,” Tarble said. “I have my needs to survive and the control of one planet, what more could I ask for?” He didn’t want to bring up his feelings. He would lose her friendship. Sure, it was bound to come out eventually, but now wasn’t the time to go into such things. “Besides, an assassin like me only thinks of his next kill. There’s no time for that sappy stuff.”

Cilica didn’t feel right. She wondered what was going on. She thought her feelings for Tarble were gone… but here they were returning to the surface. She reminded herself of his words. Tarble saw her as a friend. He always would…it was how they would remain. She finally smiled. “We should get this back to camp.”

“Yeah, I can see my brother complaining about being cold,” Tarble said something in Vegeta’s voice, making her laugh. “Once we get rid of Frieza, you can get back to Polar and your little boy.” She smiled at him, only for him to cringe on the inside. If only she felt that way about him. Then he wouldn’t be in this position. But as it stood, a person like him didn’t deserve love. An assassin was made to gut out the hearts of others. “I bet Flambee will want to hear everything.” It really felt unfair. He was the one that remained by her side when she was miscarrying. Polar had run off to work. The prince put on a fake smile for her though. He was letting his emotions get in the way. That could only lead to failure. 

Cilica laughed as they made it back to camp. “I bet you’re right.”

To Be Continued…


	43. Chapter 43

Pan sighed. Just how long was Trunks going to be gone? She didn’t like this at all. What if something happened to him? The Son shook her head, she couldn’t think that way. Pan knew that he would return…with her father. The youngest Son just wished that she could be trusted. Did her dad really think that lowly of her? She wanted to cry but held back her tears. Trunks didn’t think she was a lier. Out in space, she knew that Uncle Goten believed her. Even with her Uncle spilling the beans, she couldn’t be too mad.

Her grandmother wasn’t worried about her grandfather though. She knew that they had fought, but Chichi was completely unfazed with having Goku gone. Pan was starting to see what her grandmother was trying to say. The pain of having someone around. The fear of not knowing had to be horrible. If anything, Chichi did look a bit frantic about Gohan being gone. It appeared that her father was deemed more important than anyone else.

Bulma didn’t seem too fazed by Trunks being gone. The heiress said something about wishing that her son found Vegeta like Bra had.

Meanwhile, Uub had started following Pan everywhere. She knew what he had done. All of those snooty girls were all over him. The youngest Son could smell them. She shook her head. What had she seen in her grandfather’s apprentice? The longer she looked the more trouble he seemed. Trunks was clearly a better option. Pan blamed herself for being young and stupid. She knew what she wanted now.

Keeping her distance was hard in a place like this. Pan knew that Uub could be anywhere. It didn’t help her situation, knowing that he had ki control. Pan could have stayed close to her grandmother, but that felt like she was hiding. The last thing she wanted to do was look like a coward. She needed to fight her own battles. Trunks came to mind. She had to do it for him. A powerful CEO needed a girl with a backbone. It was time to grow up and be what she really was.

Pan walked into a shower room, removing her clothes little by little. She felt a bit grimy. Avoiding washing up had been a pain. She could smell herself and could no longer remain this way. The warm spray felt good on her skin and back muscles. Pan had been tense, the water was relaxing her as she thought of her lavender prince. They had kissed a few times, Trunks wasn’t pushy. The CEO was patient with her. She wanted a little bit more, but Trunks didn’t want to rush things. He wanted them to be sure of each other before they crossed that line. She sighed, washing out the shampoo from her hair. If her father just believed her, everything would be good then. But Gohan refused. Her father clearly trusting Uub before her.

Pan held back her tears as she was about to wash her face…only for a hand to land on her shoulder. She turned quickly, finding Uub standing there naked. “What the hell do you want? And why are you naked?!”

The apprentice smirked. “I forgot how…appealing you look.” His eyes were roaming. Since Pan had moved on, she had become interesting once more. “Why don’t I wash your back?”

“Get the fuck out of here!” Pan snapped as she attempted to hide her body from him. “Like I would let you touch me again!”

Uub grinned. “But you liked my touch, remember? We were supposed to be together forever. You said that once, didn’t you?” He was imagining all of the things he wanted to do here. All he had to do was get Pan on her knees.

“I was young and stupid.” Pan’s eyes narrowed, but did see an opportunity. She could see him touching himself. “What did you have in mind?”

Uub motioned for her to go down. “Suck me off for a while and I’ll give you this.” He watched her fall to her knees. Trunks was going to eat his words when he returned. Stealing someone as dense as Pan was too easy. Now Trunks would know not to steal his things.

Pan grinned up at Uub. He looked thrilled to have her down here. The Son moved swiftly, hitting him where the sun didn’t shine. The full impact of her punch sent him flying. Uub was moaning and shaking with pain as she finished up her shower. The Son whistled to herself, leaving the spray flowing on the dirt bag. Pan dressed, thinking about her Trunks. Hopefully, he was safe.

* * *

 

Nappa sighed. Why was he always on babysitting duty? Gure didn’t like leaving her daughter with him and Flambee, but she was going over some kind of treaty with her eldest daughter today. The large saiyan didn’t know how Tarble put up with any of that.

Back before he first got here, he believed that Cilica and Tarble finally found each other…but he was proven wrong the moment he saw Flambee. Not that he didn’t love his grandson. It was just strange knowing that the two were so close, yet distant. Then again, he shivered, that was for the best.

Flambee put a fake crown on his head and was declaring himself the king of space while Tota giggled. The saiyan frost demon hybrid was proclaiming her his queen when Polar looked in the door.

“I didn’t think you would be back so soon.” Nappa said as the children knocked down a tower of blocks.

“I’m not, just checking in with my kid.” Polar sighed, looking down at the duo’s wake of destruction. With saiyans around, no one could have nice things. “Anything interesting?”

“Considering that they keep claiming that they’re going to get married, you’ve got plenty of time to get used to Gure and Tarble.” Nappa chuckled, but noticed as Polar flinched. “Polar?”

The frost demon sighed. He knew that Tarble still had feelings for his Cilky. It was a part of why he didn’t like them not having their memories. Would they end up in each other’s arms? It was nerve racking. The thought of the assassin touching his wife was rage inducing. “I’m going to go back on patrol.”

Polar walked into the hall, finding Gure standing there. The queen glared at him. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s the same thing that I’m thinking.” She said, staring at him.

“I don’t have time for your shouting.” The frost demon said, pushing by her.

“Tarble still loves her. He’s never loved me. We put on a show. Hell, he would have been dead if I hadn’t offered my…assistance. He looked handsome and I knew with his power, strong heir was a given.” Gure sauntered back to Polar, grabbing his hand. “You know, they’re both saiyans and mating season is approaching. Wherever they are, they won’t be able to resist.” She touched his chest. “Even if you and Cilica share a life together, it won’t be enough to stop them. She’ll leave you, Tarble will leave me. Those years of pain she had with miscarrying all of your children, will be forgotten as Tarble gives her a pure blooded saiyan without a single complication.”

Polar glared down at Gure, pushing her hands away. “You don’t know my wife.” He stalked away from her, but couldn’t help but hear her words. They were invading his mind whether he liked them or not. He shook his head. The frost demon needed to stop this train of thought. It could be the end of him.

* * *

 

Gohan walked forward, finding Trunks staring him down. Today they were supposed to fight. The Son was still feeling cocky about this. There was no way that Vegeta could get his son up to a level that could beat him. Besides, how long did it take to train Goten?

The CEO wasn’t taking his eyes off of his target. He had been reminded time and time again, this was for Pan. This would solidify his claim to take her as his mate. While he wasn’t sure about this mating thing yet, his instincts told him that this was what he wanted. Looking at all of the saiyans, Gohan was the only one that wasn’t operating on some kind of instinct. He was clinging onto his humanity, which would play to Trunks’s advantage.

Vegeta smirked as the battle begun. Fists met as the prince figured out what kind of fighter Gohan was. Kakarot’s oldest wasn’t a tank, taking hits wasn’t Gohan’s strongest suit. Brawler was also out of the question. Could the boy be a sweeper? No, he wasn’t fast enough. It was so hard to place him, due to Gohan’s refusal of being what he was.

Trunks powered up, going to the second stage of super saiyan. Gohan followed suit, glaring at him with hatred. “Give up. Restore your daughter’s honor.”

Gohan growled. “Only she can do that. Apologizing to Uub…” He was kicked in the gut and forced to the ground by Trunks. Why was the lavender saiyan so against Uub? Hell, it appeared that everyone was. What happened was a lie…

“He defiled her, and you still defend him.” Trunks’s power was growing, soaring past super saiyan 2 and turning into something else. It wasn’t the mystic form, nor was it super saiyan 3. Trunks’s hair changed, going black as he stared at his adversary. “I will defend her honor from that heathen as long as I live.”

Vegeta grinned. To think that Trunks was capable of such power, this exceeded his expectations. The prince watched as Gohan was knocked out with a swift kick to the side of his face.

The lavender saiyan felt his body return to normal. He didn’t understand what had just happened, but pride filled him. Pan was his. Gohan could no longer stand in his way. He would take Pan as his wife.

Goku walked forward, helping Gohan up. Both father and son were quiet. Gohan looked back over at Trunks. “Don’t think that I will…”

“Give it a rest already.” Goten said. “Human logic doesn’t work here, human. That’s what you want isn’t it?”

Gohan glared at his brother. “How would you feel if you had a daughter and she was just betted away like she was a prize?”

“If I was her father, I would be proud that such a strong warrior wanted her hand after she became damaged by a slime ball.” Goten growled.

Goku felt confused. “I still don’t get it. I know that you don’t like Uub as my apprentice, but he said that he didn’t sleep with Pan.”

“Dad, that’s a lie.” Goten stated.

“How do you know that?” Gohan said crossing his arms. “She’s kept secrets from me, that tells me that she’s a lier.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes. “You want proof, I can give it.” Gohan and Kakarot stared at him in shock. “I caught Uub with Pan in my house.”

Goku stood there in horror. “In…in your house…”

Gohan felt a pain in his chest as he thought about his little girl. This couldn’t be happening. He didn’t just…

“At first, I thought it was those two,” The prince pointed at Goten and Bra, “but I found them watching a movie in the den. I went upstairs to find Uub smirking at a picture of my daughter while Pan came out of a spare bedroom. I could smell what had happened.” Vegeta said. “The girl didn’t look very emotionally stable. I do wonder if she was forced.”

Gohan started shaking. This…this couldn’t be. A snarl left his lips as lightening fell around him. The moon was shaking as the thought of ringing Uub’s neck came to mind. Beside him, his father appeared in the same state. They had trusted that fiend and now he was alone with Pan once more. “He’s not going to live when I find him!”

Goten finally grinned. “So, you have some saiyan in you after all.”

“Shut up!” Gohan said as his blood lust grew. All he could imagine was Uub’s head ripped from his body. He hated to admit it, but Goten was right. He had become blind. The genius allowed himself to give in to the notion that their kind were always in the wrong, while humans were always in the right. He sighed as his anger began to fade. “I’m such an idiot.”

“I’ve been saying that for years.” Goten said.

Gohan rolled his eyes. “You know, being a smart ass right now isn’t what I need.”

“Sure, it is.” The berserker stated. “You feel like an ass, so I’m just helping you laugh. Shit happens, pull yourself up and fix it.”

The genius looked over his brother. “When did you grow up?” It was really strange, he was sure that Goten was going to remain a child. Admitting that his little brother had come so far was hard. “I swear, I still see the little kid that liked pranks too much when I look at you.”

Goku walked between his boys. “If you think that’s hard, imagine being me. Both of you are still kids to me. I still see the boy that took down Cell to save those he cared about…” His eyes turned to Goten. “And the boy that jumped into my arms at the tournament.” Both of his sons turned red.

Vegeta chuckled. “Don’t forget my little hellion.” He pointed to Trunks. “I swear Goten and Trunks were asking for punishment all of the time. Those pranks were genius though.” Trunks turned red while Bra laughed. “And that one there, she used to do these never-ending tea parties. That’s why Bulma made sure there was real tea and cookies there. If not, I would be there all day.”

The saiyans of the horde began to do the same, talking about each of their kids in a way that would be embarrassing to the child. They were forced to stop when they got to Onuin though. 50 kids was just too much to sit through.

* * *

 

Morning came and the horde knew that they just couldn’t stay put for much longer. Someone needed to check on the outside world. To everyone’s surprise, Onuin volunteered for a smart reason…for once. The planet below them was Piscina. If anyone could get close to anything without causing a stir, it would be the tank. He was the consort of the queen. His sons would still be on the planet. The royal guard was needed to look after the planet. His wife and daughters would be safe at the patrol.

Vegeta and the others saw him off, but the tank wasn’t going alone. Trunks decided to go get a look of the planet as well. The prince looked over his boy, feeling uneasy about this. Sure, Trunks could take care of himself, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going the feel anything.

“Dad, I’ll see if I can contact mom. She’s alone at the patrol right now. I know she has to be worried.” Trunks said.

The prince nodded. “Be sure to contact your mate as well.” Trunks turned red. “You have a grandchild to give me.”

“Wha?” The lavender saiyan turned beet red. “But it’s too early for…”

“Don’t argue with him.” Bra said with a giggle. She could tell that her brother was confused. “Goten and I got the same talk.”

“The requirements are still the same.” The prince stated. “Black hair would be nice to have for once.” He walked away, leaving his son speechless.

The berserker walked up. “What’s got you so pale?” Bra only took his hand and wished Trunks a safe trip. The two of them watched as they blasted off and away. Everything was in the hands of Onuin and Trunks now.

Turles walked over with Mata, the two seemed a lot gigglier today. The spy was sniffing his mate’s neck while purring. Goten looked over at Bra, catching her scent as a breeze hit her hair. He purred, something was on the air, driving him mad. He kissed his girlfriend before picking her up and walking away with her.

Vegeta watched the scene and shook his head. Mating season was here. He may get that grandchild sooner than he thought he would. The prince walked around, finding Kakarot and Gohan. The two appeared to be talking things out. “We should stay away from the west side for a couple of days.”

“Why?” Goku asked.

Vegeta chuckled. “Mating season has started. Leaving those that wish to have time to themselves alone would be wise.” He looked around. “Turles and Mata will be disappearing soon, and Bra has already left with Goten.”

Gohan turned pale. “Vegeta, she’s 16…”

“In our culture, she’s an old maid. Most saiyan women are mated by 14. She’ll be 17 next month anyway. If she wants to bring a warrior into this world, I won’t deny her.” Vegeta said, as noon drew closer. “Each person has their own path. It isn’t my place to decide what’s best for her.”

“What if it wasn’t my brother?” Gohan asked.

Vegeta chuckled darkly. “Then that boy would have his legs broken and fed to some sharks.”

“What happened to it isn’t your place to decide for her?” Goku teased.

The prince grumbled. “If she chose a proper warrior, I wouldn’t have a problem, but most of Earth is dominated by push overs. Allowing that into my bloodline is a crime. My little girl deserved better and she got better.”

Goku looked at his son. “It’s not that different for me and your mother either. Chichi was 16 when we got married.”

Gohan looked confused. “I thought you were the same age.” He was shocked.

“That’s what we said. We kind of forged the paperwork so it could happen.” Goku said sheepishly. “What? Your mother wanted to be my wife and I liked her spunk.”

Gohan shook his head. “So, you’re saying that you and mom are illegally married, meaning that everything on paper is wrong, voiding your marriage.”

Goku laughed. “When you make it sound like that, it sounds criminal.”

Vegeta sighed. He hoped Trunks returned in one piece. Dealing with these two while mating season was on was going to be a pain. He wouldn’t have that many interesting people to talk to. The only others were Tarble and Cilica. Speaking of those two, where were they?

Just as he thought it, Cilica walked closer. Tarble was next to her and they were making snide comments to each other about them sending the fish population to extinction. Vegeta grinned, it looked like he might have some good company after all.

* * *

 

Frieza grinned as he looked around the room. His… experiment worked out better than he thought it would. The frost demon looked over his monster of a creation. Serum had been used to its fullest potential. His doctors had been up working without sleep until it was ready. Mechanical enhancements had been made.

The frost demon walked around his creation, smirking at the glory he had made. “The patrol is weakened. That fool Son Goku is away. The only one who can truly protect it would be that traitorous cousin of mine and some spare halflings.” Frieza placed his fingers in the hair that remained on his soldier’s head. “We will dispatch a full squad. They will be taken out. No civilian will be left alive.” He knew that Vegeta’s wife was there. This would be entertaining. “Bring me back the wife of Vegeta and you will be rewarded.” A crowd of soldiers cheered as the monster stood. “Do what is needed…”

“Yes, Master.”

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note  
> Sorry this is late. Pika is moving down to where I live at the moment. Its a 12hr move, so this is a little late on my part. For those who are confused about Chichi's age, in the manga, she is 16 when she marries Goku, while in the anime, she was aged up to be the same age as him. I went with the manga age for some comedic affect. 
> 
> Anyway, who want's to guess who or what the monster is?
> 
> -Jo


	44. Chapter 44

Bulma sighed to herself. The patrol was kind of boring now. She knew that she really shouldn’t complain. But without her children, husband, and oldest friend around, there weren’t that many people worth talking to. The heiress watched the screens, looking out for her family. The ship that Trunks was on with Goku and Gohan had lost signal. She wasn’t too worried though. As long as the earth saiyan was around, Bulma couldn’t see anything bad happening to Trunks.

The heiress stood, it was time that she stretched her feet. Bulma walked down the hall, finding Chichi looking after Flambee and Tota. She smiled at the housewife. The two of them were in the same boat. At least Chichi still had Pan around. Not knowing anything about Vegeta or Bra was hard.

A horrid cry came from down the hall. It appeared that there was bad news in the medical wing. Rouge’s sisters came out with her daughter Civilia. In the daughter’s arms was a new born baby. The two humans wondered what was going on as the baby was passed to Chichi. No one stopped to speak. They only left the baby with them.

“What was that about?” Chichi asked, looking down at the baby boy in her arms. It was clearly awake and cold. The housewife wrapped it up in her scarf, quickly. “Really, what kind of women leave a child like this?” she scolded as Bulma looked down at the saiyan tail that had wrapped around Chichi’s wrist. Flambee and Tota came over to look at the baby as a table was pushed by their room. Bulma quickly covered the children’s eyes. It appeared that Rouge had died in childbirth.

The room grew quiet before Bulma distracted the children. Chichi kept the baby in her arms. Her mind flashed back to a long time ago. Back when Goten was a baby. Tears began to fill her eyes. What would have happened to her little boy if she had died bringing him into the world? With Goku already gone, it would have left her boys to fend for themselves. She rocked the newborn, trying to take her mind off of such things.

Bulma looked back at Chichi, feeling the same dread. It was hard not knowing where your children were. It was also hard to imagine a scenario where you weren’t there for those moments. Chichi passed the boy off to Bulma as she began to try and come up with a new game for the kids.

The two women were going to continue talking to clear the air, when the room they were in rocked. Bulma held the child in her arms tightly as gunfire was heard down the hall. Someone was here. Alarms were going off. The patrol was under attack. The housewife moved quickly, grabbing Flambee and Tota from the floor. Bulma followed her, going into a nearby closet with the newborn. They all remained quiet, hoping and praying that this wasn’t the end.

* * *

 

Frieza’s army was spread out. Ships in the loading bay were blowing up. Gas ignited while dark smoke rose from destruction. Soldiers were everywhere. Blood covered the docks as the army began to invade the inside of the station.

Their leader cried for the heads of the patrolmen while he went inside. The man stalked down the halls, killing anyone that was in his path. He laughed darkly. This was his revenge. Everyone that betrayed him would fall. The dark warrior heard cries around him, death surrounded him as bombs went off. He chuckled, taking in the sweet sounds of death. This was truly the heaven he desired.

The sound of metal against metal continued down the hall with each step he took. His body had taken a beating thanks to them. Master had told him such things. A couple of teenagers ran out of the room, he planned to blast them, but his squad behind him took care of it. One looked like a fish, another with wispy white skin. Such young life, taken away in an instant. It was just so gratifying.

Another wave came through. Civilians running for cover. He had to laugh. This was supposed to be a military base. To have this many people here without proper combat training was delightful. He walked forward, crushing the head of an older woman. It appeared to be the mother of the fish teen. The smell of corpses entered his nose and he loved it.

Fire broke out, the smell of smoke surrounded him, and he flinched. To be reminded of his fall. Who out there dared to mock him? The robotic warrior turned to find something he didn’t expect. All of the explosions around him stopped, all of his senses froze in place. His heart beat faster as he looked over a pixie with purple skin. Her dark blue hair was framing her face, while her pregnant belly stuck out. Her eyes were filled with tears as she drew closer to him. Her voice came out, but he didn’t hear it. Everything was coming back to him. Rage filled him. He had been tricked. Frieza had lied. Frieza planned to make him kill his own mate.

“Raditz?” Grenaade could barely recognize him. Most of his hair was burned off, leaving only a small section left. A bionic eye was placed on one side of his head, while all of his limbs were mechanical. Her tears fell as she walked closer. Their eyes locked and she knew it was true. “What…what happened?”

Raditz collapsed onto his knees, bring himself to her eye level. “What have I done?” He fell against her as the gunfire outside came closer. “Stay here, stay safe.” He pushed her back into the room, locking it behind him. The bomber felt relieved to know that she wasn’t gone. The lies that Frieza had told him sent him on this quest for murder. Now he would take a stand and clear out those that tried to get close to this room. He would protect for the first time in his life.

* * *

 

Polar growled as he ran around the base. Rarely did he have to transform to win a battle, but the number of soldiers was enough to warrant it. He hadn’t seen this much blood since the berserker came here. The frost demon took out as many as he could. To his side, he could see that others had joined the fray.

Bercu, along with Goku’s granddaughter were fighting back. That apprentice of Goku’s was also fighting off some of the soldiers. He only hoped that it was enough to push back the Frieza Force.

Bercu jumped over a pile of corpses. She could see those that she knew among the dead. How would Piscina deal without their royals? The territory of Vencarzu also would most likely find itself a new leader as well. The smell of death was on the air, making her think of a darker time, back when her family was on the run. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her sister blasting through an entire line of men.

Pan knocked a man to his feet and stared down at him. She shook as her blast began to form. Never had she been in this position before. How could she kill someone? The youngest Son was at a loss when Uub stole her kill. “You need to react faster than that if you’re going to be out here,” the human snapped.

Pan glared at him. “I don’t need you telling me what to do.” Without a second thought, she blasted a man who was running for the human. She rolled her eyes at his thank you. “Save your words. Like I want thanks from the likes of you.” The quarter saiyan began to use her anger for Uub as her fuel for the battle in front of her. Pan kept imagining each of her foes as if they were her ex. The feeling was glorious. In the back of her mind, she kept tabs on the real Uub. She didn’t want to kill the original just yet. A different kind of torture was planned for that.

Polar raced around the room, going up to his third transformation. Sure, he wasn’t as strong as Frieza, this was where his power stopped, but it should be enough. Now that he had some back up, they could take care of the trash. “Send them back. You don’t have to kill all of them. Remember, we still need to get some information.” He cried over the mountains of lost souls. As he said it, another saiyan came from inside the patrol, joining them on the dock. Nappa growled, killing without a second thought. The frost demon thought the scene around him had to look funny to some. A saiyan and a frost demon fighting side by side had to be foreign to some. Even if his wife was a member of the patrol, that didn’t mean they got the same missions.

Nappa slammed into a wall the enemy had made, knocking it down using his size. Behind him, Bercu and Pan made strikes, followed by Bercu’s sister. It was a barrage of saiyan attacks that were broken up by Uub pushing his way in. The girls glared at him for trying to steal their thunder. The eldest saiyan felt like laughing. This felt like old times. A classic spar on Planet Vegeta…those were the days.

Polar blasted a ship that was attempting to retreat, causing it to explode. Beams of energy were aimed upwards, destroying ship after ship. He growled as he took command of the situation, calling for all fighter ships to clear up the mess before heading off to hyperspace. His cousin would regret attacking him. Frieza would pay dearly.

* * *

 

Bulma looked through a crack in her door as someone came into the room. She could see the armor that was clearly the mark of Frieza’s army. She hoped the baby in her arms didn’t start crying. It would be the end of her if it did.

The heiress froze in shock as she heard a cry, but not from the child in her arms. It was Tota who had burst into tears. The closet where Chichi had been hiding was discovered. The door was opened, and the housewife popped out, knocking one soldier out with a swift kick. Bulma could have sworn that Chichi broke his neck.

Chichi clapped her hands together, feeling confident. “Tota, Flambee, I told you to be quiet, didn’t I?” She smiled, only to feel a searing pain in her back. The housewife didn’t even look back as she collapsed to the floor.

“Is this the one?” A soldier asked. It was a strange alien who probably had never seen a human before.

“How am I supposed to know? Just take the chick and the kids.” Bulma watched in horror as Chichi was dragged away. Flambee and Tota were also knocked out and removed from the room. She should have done something, but what could she do here? There was no blaster, nor was she a marshal artist. This was a place where her large brain wouldn’t be of use. As they disappeared, Bulma crumbled to the floor with the baby in her arms. She began to cry as she wished for her husband. Vegeta would know what to do in this situation. The heiress couldn’t help it as she sobbed. If the prince was here, this wouldn’t be happening. She hated feeling weak. All she could do was hope that Chichi and the others were okay. Hopefully someone would stop those soldiers before they made it out of the patrol.

* * *

 

The tide had turned. Frieza’s men had started to retreat. Polar grinned as he watched ships head into space. Sure, he couldn’t stop all of them, but he had gotten some prisoners out of the deal. That meant he could probably get a location out of them. As he stood back and looked over the damage, the frost demon scowled. All of this felt like such a waste of life. He returned to his original form, thanking the saiyans and lone human for their help in the battle. Something didn’t seem right though.

A couple of his men came forward, telling him that a room was being guarded by one of the prisoners that was left behind. Quickly, Polar headed to the spot, only to discover a strange man. He could tell that it was saiyan, even if the tail was singed. He wondered who it could be. Going over all of the profiles of the horde, he couldn’t find a match. The man in front of him was just too scarred up for that. It wasn’t until Grenaade came out of her room that Polar knew exactly who it was. He growled. “Raditz.”

The saiyan smirked. “I’m surprised you figured it out so fast. Hell, I’m still getting used to this appearance of mine.” It had been a long time since he came face to face with Polar. It had to be at least 30 odd years.

“Where are the others?” the frost demon snarled, wanting to know the location of his wife.

“Oh, I have no idea. See, I almost died. Frieza messed with my head, attached all of this machinal shit, and now here we are. You have to thank my mate here, if I didn’t see her, I would still be on a killing spree.” He could tell that Polar was puzzled by his words. “The horde discovered Frieza’s treachery. They planned to destroy him, so that scoundrel attempted to kill them all. I have no idea where the rest of the horde is, but seeing as he sent me here, Frieza had to fail in doing so.”

Polar felt some relief at his words, but then again, Cilky could still be dead. It wasn’t much to go on. The frost demon sighed. “Come, we have much to discuss.” He looked over the corpses of Aquaria and Aura in the halls. They weren’t the only ones. It appeared that that all of Onuin’s daughters had been slain. That wasn’t going to look good when the press came around. Polar could just hear his superior officers going off on him about such a thing. “You know who killed them?” He said it as a question, even though he already knew the answer.

Raditz caught on to what Polar was saying. “I didn’t see anything.” This was going to be their little secret. Onuin would probably kill him if he found out about it. The bomber did have an excuse though. He wasn’t in his right mind, and it wasn’t like Onuin was short on kids…not that he could make up the whole mate murdering thing. The bomber froze in place though as he saw a familiar face. “Old fart?”

Nappa rolled his eyes. He didn’t even have to question who it was. No one else had ever called him that. “So, you finally did something with that hair of yours.” The older saiyan jeered. If Raditz was here, then there had to be some hope for the others.

Polar sighed. “The time to make up can come later. We need to discuss Frieza’s next move.” As he spoke though, Bulma came out into the hall. She had a baby in her arms. The heiress’s eyes were red from tears. “It’s over. We have to make a plan.” He began to explain before noticing that Goku’s wife wasn’t with her. “Where’s Chichi?” The frost demon felt a cold spot start to form in his chest. The look on Bulma’s face told him enough. “Where’s my son?” The housewife was supposed to be looking after Flambee. He trusted her to do some babysitting.

“I…I’m sorry. They came in our room. Chichi was taken…along with the two children,” Bulma said, almost losing her footing.

Polar had to remind himself to breathe. His only son was now in the hands of the enemy. He looked down at his hands. What kind of father was he? First, he couldn’t save his wife from Frieza, and now his son was with that monster. He growled. The frost demon couldn’t comprehend what Frieza had planned.

Raditz looked over at the woman who had joined them. She looked like an older version of Bra. This would make her Vegeta’s wife. He was kind of shocked at how mopy she was. This didn’t look like a proud queen. But just as he was about to write her off, Bulma’s face changed and the woman in front of him became determined. “Trunks, Goku, and Gohan are still out there in space. I’ll do some digging and see if I can contact them. If Goku finds out that Chichi’s been taken, he will do everything to find her, along with Flambee and Tota.”

“What about my Tota?” Gure ran in. The tech-tech queen was in tears. She had already come across the fallen body of her daughter. “Where is she?!” Gure was in a panic as she gave into her grief, slumping to the floor weakly in front of Polar. She blew her nose, looking pitiful.

Raditz wanted to roll his eyes. So, one prince mated with confidence, while the other mated this. He sighed as his own mate grabbed his arm. They were taken down the hall into a large meeting room. He could see that Polar had stayed behind with Tarble’s wife. The two of them had to be talking about their children. He looked down at Grenaade as Bulma and Nappa began to search the galaxy franticly. At the same time, the leader of the bomb squad came in. His eyes went to the purple woman beside him. It looked like this guy was overwhelmed. Raditz could tell that he knew nothing about bombs in general. The saiyan sighed. It looked like he did have work to do here.

Grenaade watched with a smile on her face. It looked like the two of them were going to get a happy ending after all.

* * *

 

Polar kept his eyes on Gure as they stood there in the hall. Grief had overtaken him. “This is my fault. I should have had better security.”

Gure stared up at him. “What do we do now? I have no way to contact my sons, they could be dead for all I know! That leaves my only heir out there!” she cried. “What if Freiza…” She didn’t finish her sentence as she burst into a wretched sob.

The frost demon helped her off the floor. Polar knew it was best if she took some time and lay down. He pushed through the crowds, finding her quarters and laying her down before he planned to leave.

Gure coughed. “Before you go…can you get me a drink?” she asked, pointing to some liquor.

Polar didn’t see why not. He opened the bottle and brought it to her, only for his mind to become dizzy. A strange smell hit his nose and the last thing he could remember was Gure’s smile before he passed out against her bed.

The tech-tech grinned. “Finally, I have you all to myself. Now, how about I show you a good time?” She giggled darkly, pulling him up on the bed so that she could do the deed. “Soon, I’ll be one with the one I love. And it’s all thanks to you.”

To Be Continued…


	45. Chapter 45

Trunks’s eyes went wide as they landed. The world around him didn’t look anything like he thought it would. When he had seen Aura and Aquaria, the half saiyan couldn’t help but think of a giant fish bowl. That wasn’t the case. The world around him was kind of surreal. A massive swamp surrounded them. Trunks believed it was lucky that they had landed on land. Mud graced his shoes as he jumped outside. Oniun seemed comfortable as he looked around…of course he would, this was his home.

Trunks took in the green moss that was growing up the tree around him. The water seemed murky, but as the full saiyan led him closer to what appeared to be an underground hallway. Trunks looked around once they were inside. He could see the twinges of greenish blue on the walls. Now it felt closer to a fish tank. Around him were thousands of fish people, many stopped to bow at Oniun’s feet as they got closer to the palace. “At least they’re still friendly.” The CEO began.

“Something seems off with them though. They have to know about my past.” The tank stated.

“Then why would they help you get the palace? It would see that you would be too big of a threat for that.” Trunks argued.

“Who knows. Come on. It’s not that far from here.” The large saiyan lead them through the crowd, hoping that he would soon have answers for everything.

* * *

 

Goku found himself looking up at the stars by himself. It felt kind of lonely. Vegeta did say this was mating season for their kind. His mind flashed to his wife. Things weren’t going that well there. Chichi had made it clear that she didn’t want him anymore. How could he really argue with her logic? She was right. He wasn’t around and he missed a lot, but he always figured that she understood why he had to train. If he wasn’t strong, who would protect Earth? Of course, he enjoyed training regardless. One thing he hated had to be the farming he was forced into doing. It did earn them some money from time to time, but it didn’t stop Chichi from forcing other jobs on top of him.

He sighed. Goku didn’t hate the jobs, it was just annoying that the one person that should have understood him, didn’t. Chichi had allowed her fears to cloud her judgements on more than one occasion. The earth saiyan pondered the thought of a divorce. That seemed to be what his wife wanted. Chichi would have been free from his poor decisions, while he could train to his hearts content.

But even with as he thought about such a thing, his heart hurt. Goku looked down from the sky, thinking about more than one moment with his wife. There were good times. Her feisty nature had been what attracted him to her in the first place. The earth saiyan laid on his back. His eyes stared back at the stars. Chichi was always one to hide her beauty. The tight bun that held most of her hair, caused her to look older than she really was. In the moments where they were alone, Goku often freed her hair. She never asked why. If anything, she looked mad about it. Mainly because it took her a while to get it back into position once more. Goku just wished that she would keep her hair down for once. Her black hair framed her face perfectly. Her fiery black eyes just popped with it. He sighed again. It didn’t seem like that mattered though. Once all of this was over and they were back home, Chichi would leave him. A growl left his lips as he thought of her finding a possible replacement. Would she do that? Would either of them think of remarrying? The idea hurt too much for Goku to process. If Chichi was to chose another, how would he react? Being saiyan meant that he wouldn’t take it very well.

His stomach grumbled, sending more pleasant thoughts into his mind. He missed his wife’s cooking. No matter how far apart they were, no matter how much he wanted to train, nothing could beat a homecooked meal by Chichi. In that respect, he could count himself lucky. At least, he used to be able to do that. He doubted that she would cook for him again. Depression took over as he rolled onto his side. Why did he have to be so stupid? To have tossed everything to the side to protect everything, he instead would lose everything.

* * *

 

Gohan couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about what Goten had said to him the other day. Was it true? Was he really running from his saiyan blood? The young man shook his head. He wasn’t running. Goten and him just had different definitions of the what a saiyan was. That was all. Gohan operated on the side of justice. Goten had become a pawn for the horde. His brother had done Frieza’s dirty work. There was no way that they could think of being saiyan as the same thing. The brainwashing that Vegeta had put in place had to be very effective. For Goten to just kill without any remorse had to be a mistake. Did he do something wrong to cause this to happen?

If anything, Goten was the one that got off easy. Goten didn’t have to wake up and wonder about if he would die when he was a child. Goten wasn’t kidnapped when he was 5 by a deranged saiyan, followed by Piccolo. Goten wasn’t the one that watched all of the z fighters get murdered by Nappa. Nor did he have to witness Krillin getting gored by one of Frieza’s horns. No, Goten got off easy. He really didn’t know why his brother had to complain. He would have given anything to have a normal childhood. Instead, he was called onto the battlefield over and over again. Their father almost got him killed by Cell. The berserker got a to be a kid. Goten got to run around and make a best friend. Gohan never had that luxury.

The bookworm growled under this breath as aggravation took over. He should be glad that Goten was now stronger than him. That meant both of them got exactly what they wanted. Gohan shook his head. That thought still bothered him. He was older. He faced each of those challenges. Why was Goten so much stronger than him? The boy hadn’t even been training as long as he had. None of this made sense. It was just like the day Goten first went super saiyan in front of him. It wasn’t fear. All of that hard work he had done to learn how to use that form, was laughable. Both Goten and Trunks made it look like a joke. To transform without a real reason, it was madness.

Gohan kept getting more and more infuriated when he heard voices getting closer to him. He didn’t know how he would take it if it was Goten and Bra, but it turned out to be Mata and Turles instead. The two gave him a look, asking why he was alone. “I’m thinking.”

“I’ve never seen a saiyan think that much before.” Turles said. “At least about something that doesn’t have to do with battle. Did you hit your head as a child?”

Gohan rolled his eyes. “No, and I’m half human. I’ve told you this plenty of times.”

“You know, as much as you keep trying to tell yourself that you’re human, it’s not healthy to reject your other half.” Mata said. “You’re also saiyan. There’s nothing wrong with being saiyan.”

“If I’m saiyan, I would be unreliable to my own family.” Gohan snarled. “My father…”

“Had to grow up not knowing what he really was. Can you even imagine that? Not knowing where you even came from.” Mata said, while Turles’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s your problem?” Gohan snapped.

“You just said that saiyans are unreliable.” Turles growled. “All you see when you look at your father is a provider, but you forget that he’s also a protector.”

“You don’t even know my dad, don’t pretend that you know our business.” Gohan growled.

“You’re right.” Turles looked down. “I don’t know Kakarot. I would have known him if Frieza never came to our planet. Kakarot would have grown up a warrior there instead of Earth. Kakarot, Raditz, and I would have grown up in an age of peace.” Turles said. “But we still would have grown to be warriors. Your father, even without remembering who he was, felt the instinct that came with battle. He trained and grew stronger, as a saiyan should. You see money as a way to provide, but have you stopped to consider any hunting he did? What about safety?” Gohan flinched at the spy’s words. “People like you make me sick. Discounting a part of yourself and tossing away others just because they don’t fit the perfect mold you’ve made in your head. That makes you no different than Frieza.”

Gohan stood there, gapping at the spy. Turles’s eyes were dark and determined, telling him that if he made a wrong move, he would be attacked. “You still don’t know Earth.”

“Kid, Planets are all the same. Cultures may be different, but I doubt that it’s really that unlike our home. Saiyans don’t fit anyone else’s molds. We create them. To doubt my words would to disrespect my fallen brother. Each of us bring something new to the table. Each of us carries a power that no one else can truly understand. No spy is the same as me. No berserker is the same as Goten. As for your father, what I saw that day told me plenty. You see yourself as a genius with facts and numbers, but on the battlefield, I’ve only see that genius a few times. He’s not a tactician like our prince, but I can easily say that my brother is one of a kind. A combo class fighter. It’s pretty rare for someone to be more than one class.”

Mata thought that over. “Yeah, we all usually stay in one profession. Vegeta is considered a brawler/tactician. What do you think Kakarot is?”

“My brother doesn’t know it yet, but he’s a brawler with a hint of tank, followed up with a little berserker. As I said, such a thing is rare. I bet if we were back home, he would have been an elite before he could walk.” Turles said proudly.

“Did you say berserker?” Gohan said, maybe that was the link with Goten.

“It was faint, but I saw it there. Something had to have happened when my brother was young. I have to wonder what happened for it to exist in him.” Turles stated, only for Kakarot to appear. His brother looked dejected. “Just the saiyan I wanted to see. Kakarot, did something traumatic happen to you when you were younger?”

“That’s a loaded question. What are you even asking?” Goku said, looking over and finding a shamefaced Gohan.

“Did you kill someone to help someone or did you kill someone you trusted?” Turles asked.

Goku turned red and looked away. “It really wasn’t my fault.” Gohan’s eyes looked up at him. “I didn’t discover it until after Vegeta came to Earth, but I did remember the monster that my grandfather told me about.” He could see that Turles looked confused. “The man that adopted me on Earth, Gohan’s namesake.” He could see that his son still looked confused about all of this. “My grandfather warned me about looking at the moon. I didn’t listen. He was killed by me in that form. Since then anytime someone close to me is in danger, I tend to go overboard. The dragonballs were like a security blanket for me. Krillin was murdered twice, but that wasn’t what made me go super saiyan the first time.”

“But dad, I was there. You changed after Krillin died.” Gohan stated.

“No, I changed after Frieza threatened to do the same thing to you.” Goku said, watching his son’s eyes tear up. “What? You’re my kid. It’s my job to protect you.”

Gohan felt ashamed. His earlier thoughts seemed to crumble away. He had always figured that his father was selfish. The older he got, the more distant he became towards the man, blaming him for all of his problems. Now Gohan was placed with only one person to blame. Himself.

“I do hope that your brother’s okay. When Vegeta said it was mating season, I hope he wasn’t serious.” Goku stated, making Turles and Mata laugh.

“Technically it is, but seeing at this is a moon and not a planet, it won’t have all of the same affects.” Turles explained.

“Yeah, ovulation doesn’t happen for our kind on moons. It’s never made sense to me why it’s like that, but that’s just how it’s always worked.” Mata stated. “You don’t have anything to worry about. Goten isn’t going to get Bra pregnant… at least not yet.”

Goku and Gohan let out sighs of relief. “Thank Kami, I don’t think either of them could handle that at the moment.” Gohan said.

“Having a child in this warzone wouldn’t be any different than most saiyans. Hell, I was born during an attack on some random planet. Dad couldn’t remember the name of it.” Turles answered. “Mom was pretty mad about all of the gun fire being next to her while I came into the world.”

Mata giggled at how pale Gohan had become. “That is the life of a saiyan. It’s always one extreme or the other. It makes life more exciting that way.”

Goku sighed and looked away. Why couldn’t Chichi see things like that? Was that why they were heading for a divorce? He could tell that everyone was looking at him. “It’s nothing. I’m just going to go and train for a bit.”

Goku left the group, leaving Gohan puzzled. His father never looked that…gloomy. What was going on with Goku? Gohan knew that he would have to figure this out before they left the moon. It had to be something big if Son Goku was depressed.

“Speaking of training, why don’t you work at that to.” Mata said, making Gohan jump. “It will be good for you.” She said, giggling as Turles lead her away for some more fun.

Gohan looked around himself. Alone again. He didn’t know where to start with training though. Maybe some meditation would make help him. Piccolo had showed him how to do this a long time ago. It always helped him when he was in a situation like this. Gohan closed his eyes, listening to nothing but the sounds around him. It felt like a millennia had passed since he last did this. Finally, he seemed at peace, if only for a short time. As opened his eyes, Son Gohan finally had his answer.

* * *

 

Trunks felt relieved when they were invited into the palace. Getting in was a lot easier than he thought it would be. But as soon as he was inside, he could see that Onuin had come home to a tragedy. The eldest of Onuin’s sons was in shambles. The large saiyan fell to the floor in grief as he learned about the death of his wife and daughters. Trunks didn’t know what to do to comfort this man. All he could think about while hearing about an attack on the patrol was his mother and Pan, but at the same time, the half saiyan didn’t want to ask the mourners too many questions. Instead, he only asked for to use a phone. They looked confused at him until he explained what a phone was.

Trunks shook his head while he was brought into a strange room. He could see that the patrol was the calling list and waited while the transmission was made. The half saiyan felt relief the moment someone answered. His mother was staring back at him. “Mom! Thank Kami you’re alive!”

“Trunks? Where are you?” Bulma asked with worry.

“Piscina. We ended up getting the wrong coordinates.” Trunks said sheepishly. “But tell me, what happened?”

“Frieza’s army came here. They’ve killed so many people.” A baby cried in her arms. “The family’s of Onuin and Negi are dead. This child is the only one of Negi’s that survived.” Bulma said in tears.

Trunks noticed that something was off. “Mom? I there anything else?”

“They took Chichi and Flambee. Another child was also taken.” Bulma said feeling determined. “But what about you, what have you been doing?”

Trunks couldn’t believe that Chichi had been kidnapped. He could only imagine the reactions when he got back to the moon. “I found dad and Bra.” He smiled, while his mother looked sad. “He misses you.” Her sad eyes looked hopeful. “Mom, he’s remembered everything. The entire horde has turned on Frieza.”

Bulma’s eyes teared up. “Where is he? Put him on!” She said urgently. It felt like an eternity since she had seen her husband.

Trunks frowned. “He didn’t come down to the planet with me. He’s still on the moon here. I will tell him that you’re safe.”

“Just stay safe yourself. Never did I think I would see you having to tangle with Frieza.” Bulma wiped her eyes. “Tell your father that I’m tired of waiting.” Trunks could tell that she sounded a little pissed. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her that he knew where their father was. Bulma giggled. “Relax, your father likes my temper. In more ways than one.”

Trunks went pale when he listened to his mother laugh. “No, Mom, ew.”

“What? You and your sister wanted us to be more open. Isn’t that right?” Bulma laughed when she saw just how uncomfortable her son was.

“Not like that.” Trunks was green. “Nothing like that.”

Bulma giggled to herself. “I really am missing my big, strong warrior prince. Can you tell him that?”

“MOM! NO!” Trunks covered his ears and hung up on his mother. He felt beyond disturbed. Now that he thought about it, it was better that he and Bra knew nothing about their parents’ relationship. He would get scolded for hanging up on her when he saw her next, but Trunks didn’t care. The torture was just too much. He shook his head, now he had to find Onuin. They needed to get back to the moon soon. The half saiyan could only imagine how the Sons were going to react to the kidnapping of Chichi. Trunks knew one thing, he wouldn’t want to be Frieza when Goku and his sons found out.

* * *

 

Tarble shook his head for what felt like the millionth time. He needed to get these thoughts out of his head. Emotion couldn’t get in his way. He had to keep to the plan. Nothing more. This moon was playing tricks with his mind. The prince looked out over the water. It was pitch black as the waves rolled up onto the shore in front of him. Tarble closed his eyes, trying to meditate, but was too distracted by his thoughts. The assassin kept having to chastise himself. Cilica, just thinking about her was unhealthy. Tarble stood up, standing at the edge of the water has he thought about going back to the group. Just like the others in the island, he began to walk around with his armor off and the top of his jumpsuit hanging down around his waist. It was just far too hot to be walking around with too much clothing.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t notice that he wasn’t alone. Tarble sighed, only to called out as he was pounced on. The assassin fell forward, into the water. There was a loud splash as the two of them fell into the crashing waves. Tarble rolled himself around, trying to make it so that he was facing his attacker. The smaller saiyan growled as he was pinned on his back. A giggle sounded above him in the darkness. Black eyes met as Cilica smiled. “It’s not like you to be so gloomy.”

Tarble cursed himself. The position they were in would reveal how he felt in seconds. “It would probably improve my mood if I wasn’t being sat on.”

Cilica noted the edge to his voice. Something was bothering the assassin. The thief stared down at him, hoping that his eyes would give her an answer, but she could see that he was hiding his emotions again. “It’s hot. We should go for a swim.”

“It’s too dark and we only have one change of clothes.” The assassin said plainly. It was as if she was trying to seduce him. Their plan came to mind as he began to think that he may have a shot.

Cilica pulled herself up and placed her hands on her hips. “Tarble, you seriously want to bring up a lame excuse like that. I know that you can see perfectly.” She reached down and grabbed his hand. “Come on, we rarely get to have fun.”

The prince allowed himself to be pulled away by her into the water. Before he knew it, Tarble had allowed himself to feel comfortable again. She dove under the water, planning a sneak attack. Just as the thief thought she was close enough, Tarble snuck around, grabbing her and causing a loud splash. The assassin was laughing, causing Cilica to fall into a fit of giggles as the water around them turned into a wave war. If there were any fish left, they would have been scared away. Even when they made it back to shore, they were laughing. Tarble began to chase her on the beach, only to tackle her into the sand. The laughing stopped as eyes met. Cilica felt her heart stop in place. His face was so serious, but at the same time there were emotions in those eyes that she wanted to reach. The thief moved her hands up, tracing his chest. She couldn’t lie. Her once forgotten feelings were rising to the surface.

Tarble couldn’t stop the purr that left his throat as she touched him. His tail was flicking back and forth as he waited for her to make the next move. He could feel her hands moving up his chest and around his neck. The prince didn’t stop her as they leaned into each other, allowing their lips to meet for the first time. The moon felt like it was shaking as a peck turned into a fierce battle of lips and tongues. Somewhere along the line, his tail ended up sliding against hers. Purring increased from both parties as they gave into temptation. In the darkness, there were cries of pleasure from both as they gave into needs they never believed they would share.

Tarble was panting when they had finished. He was staring up at the stars as she cuddled into his side. Cilica was quiet as they lay there. “I…I didn’t expect that.” The prince said, maybe all of this had finally worked in his favor. His years of waiting seemed distant, now that she was laying in his arms.

Cilica felt torn. She was married…as was Tarble. She wanted to return to Polar…but at the same time, being so close to the prince was bringing back feelings she had tossed away so long ago. “I wasn’t planning that…” It felt awkward now. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

Tarble felt her tremble and planned to pull away from her. “Let’s just forget this happened.” He should have known better than to hope. Hope was such a worthless emotion.

The thief felt as if she had just been stabbed in the chest. “What?” The last thing she wanted was to be alienated by Polar and Tarble.

“Cilica, you have a happy life outside of this mess. We just…” Tarble didn’t want to say the next set of words on his mind, but they had to be said…even if he had just had the best sex of his life. Even with all of his work, he should have known that this was all a lie. “We just don’t fit together like that.” It was better this way. If he put up his shields, he wouldn’t be hurt. It was just as his teacher thought him all of those years ago…but as she remained close, the gears in his mind began to turn.

Cilica took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. Normally, she was the strong type, but now she felt weak. It was as if he had ripped out her heart and fillet it. The prince’s eyes were emotionless… a complete contrast to what they looked like mere minutes ago. Before she knew what she was doing, the naked thief had grabbed the assassin, pulling him into a kiss. Just like before, the world shook. “Tarble…I…don’t do this. I…”

“What more do you want from me? Huh?!” Tarble pushed her away. “You have someone else! You love him! This moon is just messing with your mind.” His want of her was growing. This was bad, really bad…if she knew the truth, she would be more than sore with him.

“Why is it my mind that is rattled? Is it that jarring to see me like this? I don’t want to lose you.” Cilica said, feeling her eyes tear up.

Tarble looked away. “We can’t change the past. We’ll forget that we just did this. You don’t need to sacrifice everything you have with Polar.” He was getting angrier by the second. Sure, he didn’t like Polar, the frost demon was his rival, but he had given up on this avenue a long time ago. But his resolve was starting to fail. The longer the assassin looked at her sad face, the more he felt himself crumbling inside. He desired her more than anything. His actions proved it, but such things would only get in the way of the road ahead…unless she truly wanted him.

“You keep bring up my husband, but you haven’t brought up your wife. If I remember correctly, you married first!” Cilica shouted. “You gave yourself to the first person you met!” It was good she was angry. This meant that she could push these feelings away.

“Like I even had a chance from the start.” Tarble said under his breath as he grabbed his pants and put them on. She gasped though, telling him that she had heard his words. “First my brother, and then Polar… I know exactly the kind of guy you wanted. It wouldn’t have mattered.” He started to walk away from her, only to listen to her sob. “What now?”

“YOU IDIOTIC SHRIMP!” The thief snapped. She got closer to him again, growling in his face. 

Tarble snarled. “Think over your words carefully.” His voice was cold as he finally put his walls back up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going over some battle plans! Maybe, I’ll find Vegeta. Let me guess, you were thinking about him when we did it just now. That would make sense. We do look alike.” Pain scorched his cheek from where she smacked him.

Cilica’s face fell. “I just don’t get it…you’ve never been this cruel.”

“I’m an assassin, it comes with the title.” Tarble grumbled.

“And to think…I used to love you.” Cilica said quietly. “Guess it was a good thing that I married Polar then.” She stormed off, grabbing her clothes and disappearing into the darkness.

Tarble felt a small smirk appear on his face “Yeah…that’s a good thing. If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have moved on.” He said smugly. “You don’t have to lie to me, I’ve always known the truth.” The prince said to himself. He was an assassin. That was the price of a true killer, even he couldn’t have it all…or could he?

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late! I forgot what day of the week it was.   
> -Jo


	46. Chapter 46

Cilica woke up, feeling nothing but rage. It had been hard to sleep that night. All she could think about was just how irritating Tarble was. Just who did he think he was? The thief already felt pissed off as she waited for him to arrive. The entire horde knew that Trunks and Onuin were coming back soon. Her eyes caught Mata’s, telling the sniper that she needed to talk with her later. Everything would feel better once she got all of this rage out.

The thief could see Vegeta, but the elder prince was alone. It appeared that Tarble lied about meeting with his brother. What a fucking surprise. Cilica walked closer to Vegeta, planning to question him, just as Tarble arrived. The assassin drew closer, but ignored her. She growled, which caught the attention of the rest of the horde.

Vegeta crossed his arms. “Do you have a problem?” His voice was sharp. The last thing he needed was a mutiny.

“She’s just under the weather.” Tarble stated, sounding bored as he walked past all of them. “The ship is landing.” His voice was deadpan. His plan to erase his emotions had gone over better than he thought it would. The assassin was starting to become what he used to be…what he always was. “Those two must have news.”

Cilica glared at the assassin. How could he be so nonchalant about what had happened between them? She planned to strike, but the ship landed. The thief could feel Vegeta’s eyes on her as well. Their leader would want to know what happened. Embarrassment filled her. What would they think of her if they knew that she gave herself to Tarble?

Trunks and Onuin appeared from inside the ship, but Cilica could see that her brother was depressed. Trunks sighed as he looked over the entire horde, along with Goku and Gohan. “The patrol has been attacked. Hundreds are dead.” Onuin let out a cry as he felt to his knees. The large saiyan had lost more than anyone in this fight. First Negi, and now his mate, Trunks couldn’t help but pity the behemoth.

“Our children!” Mata cried in worry. She could only imagine what could have happened to her daughters.

“They’re all fine. It was Negi and Onuins’s families that took hits.” Trunks stated, keeping his eyes on Mata. “Only one child of Negi lives.”

Mata’s eyes filled with tears. “Which one?” She was thinking of all of each of Negi’s daughters.

Goten listened in, feeling angry. Negi planned to go back to his family, now only one was left. The berserker would make sure that what remained was taken care of. Trunks spoke, almost bringing tears to Goten’s eyes. “Negi’s wife died in childbirth. She brought a son into the world before she died, he is the lone survivor.” At that moment, the berserker had more conviction for what was planned. He would train that boy when he grew old enough. It was the least he could do for his fallen comrade. “That isn’t all though. Three people have been kidnapped by Frieza’s army.”

“Kidnapped?” Vegeta would have felt worried, but that fact that Trunks had contacted Bulma meant that his wife was safe. But he could tell that his son was on edge. This could only mean one thing, Trunks was dreading telling the Sons something.

“Yes, my cousin, Tota, was one of them.” Tarble growled as Trunks continued down the line. “I’m sorry, Cilica…Flambee was taken.” The thief’s anger at Tarble disappeared and was replaced with a rage for Frieza. If her little boy was harmed in anyway, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone in her way. Trunks turned to Goku. “They took Chichi.” Most of the horde seemed confused by the name. Trunks was flinching as he watched the three Sons.

Goku stood there, feeling his rage begin to build. Images of his wife appeared in his head. The last time he had seen her, Chichi had been in tears. “Where are they?” His voice was cold.

Mata looked up at Turles and the spy shrugged. Both of them turned their eyes to Gohan, only to find the boy’s power to be shooting upward. Each member of the horde was backing away. Even Goten looked pissed off. Mata turned her eyes to Vegeta. “Who is Chichi?”

Vegeta smirked. “That harpy is Kakarot’s wife and the mother of his children.” He had never seen his rival like this before. Something was coming to life in those humanlike eyes. Something primal. “Let us make a plan, Kakarot. We will retrieve what we have lost.”

Goku was trying to control himself, but it was close to impossible. Goten grabbed his arm, father and son shared a moment as Goten pulled his father away from the darkness that was growing inside of him. “Vegeta’s right. We need a plan.”

It was strange seeing the three Sons next to each other like this. They were all ready to put something into the next fight. Vegeta looked over at Bra and Trunks. “We will have to split up for this. Some of us will go to the Patrol, while the rest go on this mission.” His eyes went to Goten. “I expect you to go.”

Goten nodded. “I still remember some of the workings of Frieza’s base. Father and Gohan can easily give me back up. It would be good to have some sneakier back up.”

“Then Cilica and Tarble can go with you. They should be able to get through the smaller rooms and unlock any doors that appear in your way.” Vegeta agreed.

“I’m going too.” Onuin stated. The large saiyan wanted his revenge. Everything had been taken from him. “Nothing you can say will stop me.”

Tarble groaned. “You do realize that this is just a rescue mission. Save your power for the main event.” The assassin snapped.

“My brother can do what he wishes.” Cilica turned on Tarble. “Be grateful that he wants to help, midget!”

The entire horde watched in shock. Vegeta snarled at her words, but Tarble only chuckled. “You want this mission to be a success? Having a large clown like that roaming the halls will do nothing but get us killed. Kakarot and his boys have power on their side. What can Onuin do besides taking hits?”

“You’re such a dick!” Cilica snapped.

“You’re letting your emotions could your judgement.” Tarble said, with a smirk. “But if you want to play this game, I can call you a bitch.”

Mata looked between the two of them. “Did something happen?”

“NO!” Both shouted, causing more confusion.

“We have more important problems than some drama between friends.” Goten stated, getting Gohan’s attention. “We have a mission. Personal grudges should be forgotten for now.”

Vegeta nodded at his apprentice. “So, we have a plan then. Goten will take Kakarot, Gohan, Cilica, and Tarble to…”

“I’m still going. You’re not stopping me.” Onuin growled.

Tarble shook his head. “Just go back to the patrol.”

“There’s nothing there for me. I have to fight.” The large saiyan persisted.

Vegeta sighed. “It looks like there’s no way around it. Onuin can go. He can take some extra hits for you if needed.”

Goten nodded in agreement. “So, this is where we part ways?” He asked.

“For now.” Vegeta said. “When you have completed the mission, return to the patrol.” Goten bowed in respect, only for the prince to laugh. “There is no reason for that. Just get back alive.”

“Yes, Master.” Goten stated they began to say their goodbyes. Mata hugged Cilica. Goku and Turles exchanged nods. Tarble said nothing as Trunks and Bra said their goodbyes to him. Trunks cringed as Goten kissed Bra. “I promise you, I will return.”

The princess giggled. “I know you will.” She purred, pulling him close. “I will be waiting.”

Trunks rolled his eyes. “At least now I get to torture you for a while. Just wait for Pan to see me.”

Bra gagged, while Goten laughed. “Keep an eye on Uub for me.” The berserker said, causing Trunks to laugh. It appeared that the human wasn’t going to get close to anyone anymore.

Finally, both groups separated, one heading towards the safety of the patrol, while the other headed into a warzone. Goten set the coordinates before sitting with his family. Onuin was with them, while Cilica sat up front. Tarble remained at the back of the ship. The smaller man seemed quieter than usual. Goten figured that it had to do with the upcoming battle. He would leave them to stew about what was going on. As long as their feelings didn’t get in the way of the upcoming battle. Goten wasn’t going to get in their business. They would come to terms with whatever was bothering them…eventually.

* * *

 

Polar rolled over, wondering why his head hurt so much. He pulled himself up, only to find himself in a strange bed. The frost demon looked around the room, only to find Gure dressing in a corner of the room. “We…we didn’t…”

She gave him a smile. “We did. I didn’t think you would be that good.” She giggled. “But grief does lead people to strange places.” The queen finished putting on her dress. “Your child was missing, as was mine. It was… a natural reaction. I need to return home soon.” She stated. “With Tota missing and Uva dead, I have to make sure that political unrest doesn’t destroy what I have.” She continued packing up her things.

“I…I cheated…” Polar felt angry with himself. He didn’t remember anything that had happened the night before.

“Don’t think of it as cheating… think of it as expressing your grief. It’s not like either of us planned to do that.” Gure said with her back turned to him. The Tech-Tech sighed. “I should be going. I have much to do.” She walked out of the room, leaving Polar alone.

The frost demon cursed himself and her. Something told him that he had played right into her hand. It was odd that she was leaving, but it was for the best. Now he could get what happened out of his head. It was time to focus on Cilica’s return. He only hoped that his wife would forgive him for his infidelity.

* * *

 

Chichi woke up in a strange place. At first, she wondered if this was a dream, but felt a sharp pain in her back.  The room she was in had bars in it, telling her that she was a prisoner here. The housewife examined the bars, there had to be a way out of here. The metal looked a lot harder than any substance on Earth. She would have to wait and see how things paned out.

A door opened and a face that Chichi had never seen before walked in. She stared at the frost demon who was smirking at her. “Who are you and what do you want with me?”

Frieza chuckled. “My, my, I didn’t expect the wife of Vegeta to have dark hair.”

“I’m not Vegeta’s wife.” Her eyes narrowed. “That would be Bulma.” She stated, watching as the frost demon’s eyes go wide before rage filled them.

“So, my men brought me the wrong prisoner. What a shame, I was planning all sorts of things for my amusement.” Frieza said, “I guess if you’re nobody, I can just kill you know.”

Chichi’s eyes flashed. “Goku will stop you.”

The frost demon stopped in place. An evil smile appeared on his face. “Goku? As in Son Goku? Tell me, what do you know about that monkey?”

Chichi suddenly realized who this person was. “I have nothing to say to the likes of you, Frieza.”

“So you do know my name. I bet he’s told you about me. The fact that a saiyan was able to knock me down is still a disgrace that I will rectify. I got too cocky while that buffoon caught me off guard. It won’t happen again.” Frieza said, confidently. “Son Goku will die by my hand.”

Chichi’s eyes narrowed. “I doubt that. Goku would never lose to such a pathetic worm like you.”

“It sounds like you’re very attached to him. Let me guess, you’re his wife.” Chichi turned red. “Oh, this is my lucky day. Not only do I get to torture the wife of Son Goku, but the mother of that berserker as well.”

“Leave my son out of this!” Chichi snapped.

“Oh, look its mother of the year. From what I’ve heard, you’re the reason he’s a monster. You kept him from what he wanted the most. I thought that mothers were supposed to lift their children up, not squash their dreams. Both of you must have thought of the boy as trash for him to rebel the way he did. Tell me the truth, the eldest is your favorite.” Frieza said, egging her on.

Chichi’s anger was growing. “Shut up! It’s because of you that he’s changed!”

Frieza laughed. “I had nothing to do with his change. The horde only built on what already existed. It was all you and…Oh, I see. You hid that boy from his father. You were the greedy one.”

Chichi backed away in the cell. Was that really what happened? “No, you…you’re wrong! My Goten was a sweet boy!” Her mind flashed back, remembering just how much Goten wanted to train with Goku. Her son’s depression appeared once Goku took Uub as an apprentice. Goten’s grades suffered, nor did she see him smile for weeks after that. She had really crushed her little boy? All she wanted to do was protect him. The horror stories she heard from Gohan had strengthened her resolve. Goten wasn’t going to train like her eldest had. Goten wouldn’t be forced onto a battlefield…but instead, she forced her will on her youngest instead. She could hear Frieza laughing as he left her alone. Her eyes filled with tears.

She had spent so much time blaming Goku, that she really never looked at herself. Her selfishness had destroyed them. Would she even see her boys again? Hell, Goten had to hate her and after her last talk with Goku, she really didn’t know where they stood.

The housewife fell against her bed, thinking of a different time. Her heart hurt. If she made it out of here, where would she go? Goku had every reason to hate her. She questioned him as her husband and as the father of their children at every turn. Of course, he would want to find another after this. She cried against her pillow. “Why did I have to fall in love with you? Of all people, I had to…” She sobbed, hoping that any torture that Frieza had in mind would be quick. If she was dead, then she wouldn’t be a burden to her family anymore.

* * *

 

Frieza walked out of the holding room and returned to his quarters. There he smirked down as he saw two children playing on the floor. He chuckled. “Do you like those toys, Flambee?”

“They fun, Uncle Frieza.” Flambee said. “But where is mommy?” He wanted to see her.

Tota didn’t say anything as she kept playing with a set of blocks. She remained focused as Frieza walked over to Flambee. “All in good time, my boy.” Frieza noticed the tail at the back of the half breed. “Let me dispose of this.” He pulled hard, removing the only saiyan trait from the boy. Flambee cried out in pain. Tears appeared in the boy’s eyes. “Now, don’t cry. You won’t become strong if you keep that thing. It will only get in your way.”

“But I’s like tail.” Flambee said defiantly. “Momma has tail.”

“You’re a frost demon. Having a saiyan tail is beneath you.” Frieza stated. The boy seemed confused by the terms frost demon and saiyan. “You don’t know. Our kind hate monkeys. We always have.”

“But momma…” Flambee argued, only to be smacked across the face. The boy cried loudly as Tota was picked up. “Don’t hurt her!”

Tota remained relaxed though as Frieza chuckled. “At least one of you is behaved, and she looks more monkey than you do.” Frieza continued to carry the young girl as while looking down at Flambee. “This is a lesson, child. Things are never how they really appear.”

Flambee seemed confused. Why was Tota so…emotionless? She was having fun with him earlier. This didn’t make any sense at all. “Tota friend?”

Tota smiled. “What is fend?” She looked around, wanting someone to explain the term to her.

“You marry me.” Flambee said, while Frieza walked away from them.

Tota said nothing to Flambee as the little boy cried and she was placed in a different room. “Lord Fieza…what is fend?”

The frost demon chuckled. “Don’t worry about that child. Forget Flambee. There are things for you here. Things that belonged to your beloved father.”

Tota jumped up and down at that. “I miss papa.”

“Yes, I know you do. Why don’t you learn a bit from what he has here?” Frieza chuckled as the girl ran off. Flambee would come around. Once he got the boy to drink the serum, that child would be his newest follower. He chuckled. Like he would allow another frost demon to marry a saiyan. That was just criminal. Until then, he would create another assassin, while earning the boy’s trust.

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait? Did I just post a second chapter for the week? Its a late spring miracle! No, its really cause I'm only 2 chapters away from ending the story on my end. Now, that doesn't mean there are 2 chapters of this story left, far from it. Keep in mind, not every week will have more than one chapter going forward, but since I'm so close to finishing, I couldn't resist. There will still be a chapter posted on Saturday as well.


	47. Chapter 47

Goten took a deep breath as they neared their destination. Soon, they would be right outside of Frieza’s base. He looked over, finding Tarble messing with a few machines. The assassin appeared to be getting his weapons ready. The berserker gave the man a nod, while Tarble smirked at him. It seemed that the assassin had cooled down from earlier.

Cilica on the other hand, was still holding Tarble in contempt. Neither of them spoke, even after they landed. Goku and Gohan tried to lighten the mood, but neither party was giving any headway. Onuin was pacing by the door. Goten had to admit that Tarble was correct about the large saiyan coming along with them. Onuin’s mind wasn’t in the right place. Even as a berserker, the half blood knew that going onto a battlefield like this wasn’t the best option for them right now. All the tank would think about was his revenge, but that wasn’t why they were here. “I want everyone to remained organized. This isn’t about revenge right now. That day will come.” Goten ordered, keeping his voice stern.

Goku couldn’t help but smile at his son. His boy had grown so confident. Next to him, earth’s hero swore that he could see a smile from Gohan, even if it was only for a split second. “Gohan and I don’t really know the area that well. If we do get into danger, I can instant transmit us back, but that will only work if I’ve been to the place before or have enough energy to find it.”

“We’ll only use that as a last resort.” Goten agreed. “I have a basic knowledge of our old quarters here, but not as much about the main base.”

Cilica shook her head. “Vegeta was usually the one called to go through the main base, as was Raditz. I believe we’re on our own.”

“Not exactly.” Tarble smirked. “You forget that I’m also a prince. I was called here just as many, if not more times than my brother.” The prince bragged.

“Then why didn’t I hear anything about it?” Cilica asked, feeling confused. Tarble had to be lying.

“It’s called being an assassin. Frieza went through a lot of generals back then. Some didn’t wish to listen to his commands and would do things their own way. This led to a need for my services.” Tarble stated with a grin. “Brother didn’t like it, but it was my duty to do it. To think, I used to be so prideful of such things.”

“Then Tarble will have to be our eyes.” Goten stated, much to the dissatisfaction of the thief. “I take it that you’ve already made us a clear map of the base.” The berserker asked.

“I had to do something while we headed this way, didn’t I?” Tarble smirked, the assassin pulled up a small chip that he placed into the ship’s mainframe so that everyone could see it. “Memorize it well. Once we get inside, we will have to find the prison. I don’t know about our children, but I know for sure that Frieza would keep a grown woman there.” Tarble began to trace the building layout he made. “I would guess that we should go after the children first. Both of them are likely to be further in the compound. Frieza tends to keep secret doors everywhere. Each of which is code locked. If we went after Chichi first, he would take this one over here towards the hanger bay.”

“How do you know that the kids would be right there?” Cilica asked, still angry with Tarble.

The assassin grinned. “Frieza would most likely keep them in the master suite. It’s across the hall from his Grand Master one. Usually, it stays empty, but on rare occasions, he keeps his most prized prisoners there.” Before anyone could think to ask, he gave them an explanation. “Usually, it was the place where he would keep those that he wanted me depose.”

Cilica was waiting to see a sign from Tarble. There had to be some emotion in there somewhere. But it never came. It was odd. In the past, she remembered seeing him cry over kills. Of course, that was back before Planet Vegeta was destroyed. There had been plenty of years between then and now. How could the assassin show nothing with his child being in danger? Sure from time to time, Tarble would growl, but she expected more from him. The group began to move into positions, but she went to his side. “Are you sure that you’re okay?”

“Now isn’t the time to talk about such things. We have a mission.” Tarble stated. “I’ve told you before, emotions get in the way of my job.” He pushed by her without another word, until his eyes caught Onuin watching him. “I still don’t agree with you being here. You’ll only get in the way.”

The large saiyan glared down at him. “Just don’t get in my way, little man.”

Cilica expected Tarble to pounce, but the prince only chuckled. “I wouldn’t even think of trying to disrespect me if I were you. Remember who has more power here.” His words were so cold, that they practically had the thief breathing out a mist. Tarble walked past them without another word.

Goten was standing next to the door to the ship. He took a deep breath as he opened it. The planet around them was pretty barren. They had landed a few miles away from the base. The berserker knew they could steal a ship when it was time to leave. “Tarble and Cilica will go first. They can unlock the grids for us.”

The two shorter saiyans began their trek towards the base. Cilica often glanced over at the assassin. She sighed. “What happened to us? You don’t need to be on guard in front of me.”

“It’s not that important.” Tarble stated. “This is a mission. You know as well as I do that its best not to focus on anything else.”

Cilica sighed. “Should I have told you no? If we didn’t have sex…”

“Do you regret that?” Tarble asked. “Tell me how you wished it was my brother again.”

“It’s never been that! It’s like you want me to hate you or something!” Cilica snapped. The two continued to argue with each other as they made it through the compound. Tarble sent a few transmissions, telling Goten that they were in. “Are you even going to answer me!” Cilica growled as they reached what looked like a hidden bedroom. Her eyes looked around. Her son was nowhere to be found. There were blocks on the floor though. “It looks like you were wro…” The thief was pushed face first against a wall. Tarble purred into her neck. “Tarble?”

“Why can’t I get you out of my head? I thought I was over this stupidity.” Tarble snarled. This was the way things were supposed to be.

Cilica could feel him against her back. She felt a pinch, followed by her pants being pulled down. She didn’t resist as she gave in almost immediately to his actions, not noticing that there were eyes watching them the entire time.

* * *

 

Goten growled as he took out more than one soldier. To his side, his father wasn’t going as far as killing, which was a little annoying. The same could be said of Gohan. That was to be expected though, they were a different horde. That meant there were different rules when it came to killing and combat. “If you don’t kill anyone, they’ll just keep coming!” He reminded them as Onuin blocked a stream of attacks. “Any one of them could have tortured mom!”

His words seemed to breathe new power into them. The fight grew more brutal as blood coated the walls. They entered one room, only for them to be cut off to Onuin. The large saiyan had stayed behind to kill as many soldiers as possible. Goten sighed as they entered a different area. There weren’t as many soldiers here. His eyes looked up, finding Flambee crawling on top of a vent shaft. The toddler must have thought of a way to escape. The berserker jumped up, grabbing the boy. “Mister!”

Goten smiled down at the child. “Your mommy is with me. She came to find you.”

“Really, where she?” The boy asked, looking around. “I ran off. Uncle scary.”

“That he is.” Goten said as his father and Gohan came closer. “Do you know where Tota is?”

“She weird. Uncle Fieza took her away. I don’t know. Was looking.” Flambee said. “Miss Chichi was taken over tear.” The boy pointed to the next room over. “I open door, but she hurt.”

Goten nodded, only to look at Gohan for a second. The two were planning to go in that room, but their father beat them there. A loud, thundering snarl ripped through the halls, causing dust to fall. Both boys walked closer cautiously. Seeing their mother in such a state would most likely stir something in both of them.

Gohan’s eyes caught his mother. Chichi’s clothes had been ripped open. There was blood on her body. At first, he wondered if she had been raped, but instead, it appeared that she had been whipped. Both half-bloods, looked up at their father, who was holding her in his arms. Goku’s eyes were so dark. Goten could tell that his father was trying to hold back his anger for the sake of the mission. They all nodded. “We need to find a ship. I know we need to find Tota, but from the sound of it, Frieza already took her somewhere else.” Gohan said.

“Yeah, I’ll have to call Cilica and Tarble and tell them to meet us in the hanger.” Goten said, sending out a signal. “We can go find Onuin on the way out.”

Goku nodded. “Besides, Chichi needs a senzu bean. I can get her one once we get back.” The earth saiyan felt nothing but rage. He wanted to kill everyone in front of him. This was why he trained, to protect his family. But here was his wife, crumbled in his arms. Next time, they would be given no mercy.

* * *

 

Cilica was panting as they kissed. Why couldn’t she stop? He was a jerk. She had a husband… why did she want Tarble like this? The signal on their communicator beeped. “We need to get back.” She said as he purred.

Tarble grinned up at her. “Yes, we do. We go to the Patrol after that. How will you explain this to Polar?”

Cilica turned red. “He…” She felt horrible. Her husband was worried about her. Her son was in danger and she slept with Tarble again. “This…It can’t happen again, Tarble.”

His grin faded into a frown. “I expected as much.” He stalked around her only to freeze in place. “Go back through the vent!”

“What?” Cilica said, feeling confused.

“Just GO!” He snapped as the door opened and Frieza walked in. The frost demon was laughing while Tarble pushed her through the door, before locking it up so that she couldn’t reenter it.

Cilica banged on the door in horror. “TARBLE!” She screamed, listening as a blast went off in the room next to her. She felt her heart stop. Tears fell from her eyes. What was the last thing she said to him? Her feet began to move, forcing her through the entire compound. She was breathing fast when she found Goten again. The berserker could tell that she was broken over something. “Tarble…he’s.”

Goten growled. “We’ve tried to call Onuin. He wants to remain.” The large saiyan wanted his revenge and wouldn’t allow any one to remove him from it. “We have to head back. Vegeta will want to know about Tarble’s fall.”

Cilica cried into her hands until something was placed on her lap. She opened her eyes, finding her baby boy staring back at her. The thief pulled Flambee into a hug. The young boy was crying against his mother for a different reason. Cilica didn’t know what to say. What would she tell Gure? That she slept with Tarble moments before his death? The horror of what she had done was falling on her, crippling her. If only she had been true to what she felt. Then this wouldn’t have happened.

* * *

 

Vegeta felt uneasy as the ship landed at the patrol. He could sense soldiers coming out and surrounding them. He looked over at his children. Each of them said something about exiting first, but he wouldn’t allow it. The prince instead opened the hatch, while Mata and Turles watched. The two felt uneasy as well.

The prince walked out, feeling more than one gun on him. He smirked. “You know, it would take more than that to take me out.” His children face palmed at his arrogance.

A few shots were fired, causing Bra to cry out, but he blocked each one. Trunks had to calm his sister. Turles feared leaving the ship. They were wanted men and women. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Polar, I presume.” Vegeta said, crossing his arms as a frost demon appeared before him. “I believe we have much to discuss.” The prince stated.

Polar was about to motion the prince forward, when someone burst through the crowd. “Hold your fire!” The frost demon shouted, only for a few laser blasts to go off.

Vegeta rushed forward, sending the blast back to the sources. There were a few screams, but that didn’t matter in the slightest to him. A pair of the most beautiful blue eyes were looking back at him. He smirked at her, only to be smacked across the face.

“You bastard! Don’t come flying in here with a smirk like that! Seriously, after all of the pain you’ve put me through!” Bulma snapped as her eyes filled with tears. “I…I…” She expected the monster from before, but melted as his eye softened. “Vegeta…”

The prince grinned at her. “Yeah, that wasn’t my intention.” Her scent was invading his nose. The rest of the world around them seemed to disappear. “Smacking me like that, I wouldn’t expect anything else from you. I’ve missed that fire.” The prince said, pulling her against him. Warmth filled him as her small hands landed on his chest. “My Bulma.” Her tear filled eyes seemed to glow like the turquoises they were. The prince leaned down, kissing her in front of the entire patrol.

Bulma at first felt shocked. Vegeta was usually so private about these kinds of things…not that she was complaining. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer as they deepened the kiss. It was like he was stealing the breath from her on purpose. It put their first kiss to shame. Something appeared around her waist, pulling her closer. It was then that she realized that they had never been together while he still had his tail. The heiress had always wondered what that would be like.

Bra and Trunks got off the ship with Mata and Turles. The two pure saiyans were tackled by their children, while the two half saiyans stared at their parents in shock. Even after their father pulled up from the kiss, they were acting like a couple of teenagers. Vegeta blushed when Bulma whispered something in his ear. The prince looked around, looking very embarrassed about his actions. Bra giggled, only to frown when Pan rushed past her and tackled Trunks. “Really? You haven’t seen me in months and the first thing you do is make out with my brother.”

Pan looked back, only to pounce on Bra. “I’m so sorry, Bra! I should have been a better friend.”

“She has no room to talk. She’s dating Goten.” Trunks grumbled.

“That’s not what I was talking about.” Pan said. “I got so swept up with all of the other girls that I forgot about my best friend.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Bra said, placing her tail around her waist. She brushed back her hair, just in time for Trunks to notice the mark that Goten had left on her. “Trunks, relax.”

As her brother began to growl, Turles picked up his youngest daughter. He was hugging her close, while Mata was surrounded by the other two. Polar walked up to the two of them. “There’s someone else for you two to meet.”

Turles remembered Negi’s child. “Take us to the kid.” He expected to raise the boy.

Polar felt confused. “That’s not who I meant, but I guess that can be set up as well. Grenaade is looking after him now. She’s on maternity leave. It was hard at first. She was the leader of the bomb squad. We had a few replacements, but none have been as good as the most recent choice.”

Turles and Mata remembered the name. This would be Raditz’s widow. The two separated from everyone, following Polar to the place where Grenaade was. The couple felt nervous. How would they break everything to her? Turles was shocked when he saw her. How did his brother do anything with someone so short? Her belly was so swollen, telling him that she was ready to pop.

“Oh, I didn’t expect guests.” Grenaade smiled. “It’s only a few more weeks and this little girl comes out.” She said to Polar. “I hope the medical wing can handle it.”

Mata shook. It was a girl. Of course, a playboy like Raditz would have a little girl. Her eyes teared up, while she held Turles’s arm. She was prepared to announce who they were when the door opened. A strange looking man walked in. He looked a bit disfigured. Then there were the metal limbs that were a bit odd.

“There you are!” Grenaade said. “Anything interesting?”

The metal man was staring at Turles. “Turles?” He couldn’t believe that he was here.

The spy stared back at the disfigured man, only to feel nothing but shock when heard the voice. “Ra…Raditz?”

The bomber chuckled. “You really thought I was dead, didn’t you?” He got the air knocked out of him a second later as Turles hugged him. The younger was crying from the sound of it. “There’s no reason to cry about it.” Raditz said, before sighing. “Really, would be dead if Frieza didn’t have a really bad sense of humor.”

“What happened?” Mata asked, speaking for her mate, who was incoherent.

“I did plan out the fuel bombing. I planned to die, but Frieza had different plans.” Raditz said. “I lost both hands, my left arm, both legs, and one eye. All of it’s robotic now. I have severe burns all over my body. I do think that Frieza thought he was being funny when he attached my nerves to them.” The bomber could see that his brother didn’t know how to speak. “Hey, dumbass, I’m still alive. Stop crying.”

Turles shook his head. “You bastard! I thought you were dead! I thought it was my fault!”

Raditz cocked his head to the side. “Why would it be your fault? You didn’t do anything.”

“If I did something, you wouldn’t have thought it was a good idea to blow yourself up.” Turles stated, while Mata walked away with Grenaade.

Raditz grabbed his brother’s face. “You’ve always been over emotional. There was nothing you could do to stop me. I did it for you. Now stop your crying. There are more important matters to attend to.”

Turles felt confused as Raditz walked away from him and after Grenaade. The spy followed, finding his mate holding the last of Negi’s line. He walked up looking down at the boy. It looked like it was just a saiyan. Nothing of the mother was even present. “What’s his name?”

“He doesn’t have one yet. I was hoping that Negi would have one.” Raditz said, before noticing the tears in Mata’s eyes. “He’s fallen, hasn’t he?”

Turles nodded. “Yes, he was killed by Frieza after you left. The lizard sent us all on missions with plans to kill us. Negi was killed saving the princess.”

“Then it’s up to us to come up with a name for him.” Mata said. She could see her brother’s face staring back at her from below. “How about Taman?”

Everyone seemed to agree with her. It wasn’t like anyone was going to complain about the name she chose. Watched the boy giggle. Things were finally looking up. Once the other’s returned, they could plan out their final battle and end this once and for all.

* * *

 

Onuin growled as he took out man after man. He knew that Vegeta wouldn’t be happy with him, but he would see his mate and Negi soon. As long as he took out as many of the enemy as possible, everything would be okay.

He cleared a room, heading into another. The tank was surprised. He didn’t see anyone in here. Did he take out his whole side of the compound? Onuin felt proud until a large blade was thrust through his chest from behind. He fell forward, tasting his blood as a giggle came behind him. “I gots a big one, Papa.”

“That you did.” Onuin looked up in horror as a pair of boots appeared in his face. A hooded outfit of black and maroon appeared above him. The hood fell back, revealing the assassin. “Lord Frieza will be very proud.”

“What about you, Papa?” Tota asked, jumping next to her father. Her outfit was the same, only there was dark greens instead of red.

Tarble leaned down, picking up his daughter. “Definitely, my little princess.” He could see that Onuin was still breathing. “I told you. You shouldn’t have come here.”

“You…You traitor.” The large saiyan could barely speak. His lungs had been pierced.

Tarble only chuckled. “Oh, you thought I was on your side from the beginning? What a fool.” Gure walked in behind them, wearing a strange purple outfit. He looked back at his companion. “Did you finish up that sham of a sob story?”

Gure giggled. “I have what Lord Frieza wanted.” She took out a vial filled with some odd white fluid. “Did you really doubt me?”

“You do tend to let your emotions take over from time to time.” Tarble looked down at his daughter. “Go say bye to Gure.”

“Bye miss, Gure.” Tota said with a smile.

Onuin felt confused. “What…what’s?”

“Did you really think I mated with that?” Gure had run off to find Frieza and the soon to be reborn Cooler.

“But you have…” Onuin felt lightheaded.

“I’ve stolen enough in my life. Tota is really a special child. If only Cilica knew.” He chuckled darkly. “Now, my princess, why don’t you get rid of Uncle Onuin for me. After that, you can open up the present I got you.”

“Yes, Papa!” Tota struck as Onuin begged for more time, but the child gave him no mercy. Blood drained onto the floor as the life of the large saiyan came to an end. “Now present, Papa.”

Tarble grinned down at his little girl. He took out a small blade that was made of plasma. “Use it wisely, Lord Frieza demands it. Now, let us go take our place near our pawns.”

"Papa, when can I have a Mama?" Tota asked.

Tarble smiled down at his little girl. "Soon, my princess." The assassin knew he was letting his emotions get in the way. He felt a rush of pleasure when Cilica had been calling out to him. He always wanted her as his queen, but gave when that abomination was born. The saiyan prince had big plans. Everything was working out in his favor. A crew came up to pick up the body of Onuin. "Take it to a serum tank." He ordered, they bowed to him. He lived off the fear they had for him. Frieza understood the situation, money was involved...but at the end of the day, this army no longer belonged to the frost demon. His plans for the galaxy were great, there was a small change with adding a queen to the mix...hell, he had already in planted his seed. The assassin...no, the Kaiser cackled. Everything was almost in place, now all he had to do was watch the dominos fall. 

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DA!
> 
> Yes, this is the major plot twist that I have been building up over the series. Tarble has always been the villain behind everything. If you don't believe me, go back to chapter 8 and read what Tarble and Goten are talking about with the context that Tarble is the villain. I kind of always wanted to do a palpatine like reveal, that's star wars if you don't know the reference. Basically, that's were a character appears to being good for those around him, but is actually working towards a different purpose. I've kept bringing up traitors to the horde as well, Raditz has always been the red herring for that. 
> 
> You're probably wondering, why Tarble? Why not Raditz or Turles, or an OC? I would say more, but it would spoil the plot going forward. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this twist as this happens to be my favorite chapter of the series...also Vegeta and Bulma's reunion, am I right?


	48. Chapter 48

They were deep into space by the time Goku realized that they never brought any senzu with them. All of those were back at the patrol. Not only that, but he knew that someone had to be following them. Earth’s hero could sense them. “We might have to transmit,” Goku said, feeling the enemy growing closer.

Goten nodded. “All we need is to stabilize our signal with the patrol. Once we do that, someone can send out a ki signal.” The berserker pushed Gohan to move faster. “I thought you were supposed to be a genius.”

“Shut up, Goten. You try working under this kind of pressure,” the older brother snapped.

“I have. You’re just out of practice,” Goten teased.

“Less teasing you two. If you don’t work together, we’re all dead!” Goku snapped at the two of them. “I know that you know a lot about computers, Goten, use that to help your brother now!”

Cilica wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t; her mind was way too messed up right now. Between the death of Tarble and knowing that her brother had to share the same fate was heart wrenching. Taking the knowledge of that and combining it with her infidelity was even worse. It felt like she and Tarble weren’t even done yet though. She wished he was sitting next to her right now. Why did she push him away?

Goten began to check the same plans beside Gohan. “Damn, they changed the passwords, didn’t they?”

“Considering what you did last time, you’re surprised?” Gohan snapped back.

“I had my reasons,” Goten said, putting all of his work into it. “Did they get Bulma to make the codes or something?”

Gohan suddenly smirked. “That’s it!” He put in the one word that he knew Bulma would use. Now this would take him back to the days he spent talking with the future version of Trunks. His screen beeped. “I’m in!” Gohan said, typing fiercely. He sent a message just in time. “Dad! Look for Trunks’s Ki!”

Goku did just that. “Found it. Everyone grab a hold of me!” Earth’s hero said. Quickly, everyone moved, placing a hand on the earth saiyan. Just as a missile was sent towards them, they disappeared from the ship, before appearing in the hanger of the patrol. Goku grinned as he panted. The fighter paid no one else any mind as he walked Chichi over to the medical wing.

Flambee looked around. “Mama! It’s Papa!” the little boy cried.

Cilica turned, fining Polar standing at the end of the hanger. Her eyes were dry from her tears already as she ran towards him. His strong arms surrounded her as she buried her face in his chest. The frost demon leaned down, capturing her lips swiftly. Her pain seemed to drift away as she nuzzled closer. “I missed you, Polar Bear.”

Polar turned red at the goofy nickname. “I could say the same to you, Cilky.” He couldn’t stop himself from staring into those ebony eyes of hers. “It felt like you were gone for a millennia.”

“That it has,” the thief said as they were surrounded. Vegeta was looking at her. Cilica turned and bowed. “I…I’m sorry, Prince Vegeta.” Polar looked between the two and began to wonder if something had happened between them, but noticed that Vegeta was looking around. Someone was missing. “Tarble died saving me. My brother Onuin has also fallen,” she said, looking at her feet.

Vegeta sighed. “Tarble was correct about letting Onuin go then. My brother’s death is a large blow to us. No one knows more about Frieza’s network,” the prince said as Bulma hung on his arm.

The heiress thought that over. “Gure’s already left this place. They lost a child in the attack. The second, I presume is still in Frieza’s care.”

Cilica nodded as Goten walked over. The berserker bowed to the prince. “Vegeta, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“About what?” the prince asked.

“Doesn’t this seem too convenient?” Goten looked over at Cilica. “Not to be disrespectful, but Tarble seemed to know too much about what was going on. I have to ask, did you witness his death?”

Cilica suddenly picked up on what the berserker was saying. “No, I didn’t. Do you think that Frieza is keeping him prisoner?” she said in alarm.

Vegeta saw where this was going. “Part of me wishes to deny you your thoughts on this matter.” Bulma was staring up at him, feeling confused about how he was speaking with the boy. “But my own suspicions cannot be ignored. I will put you in charge of looking into the matter. Investigate what you can.”

Goten nodded. “Anything else?”

Vegeta grinned. “Return to your family. I know that your mother should be waking up soon.”

“Thank you, Vegeta.” Goten turned and left the group, which allowed Cilica to take in their words.

“You think that Tarble is in the wrong? He saved me!” the thief began.

“No, I know my brother all too well. Goten told me of a traitor among us. He believed one of us had allied with Frieza from the beginning. All of us thought it was Raditz, but in reality, there is no way that after the horrors he faced at the hands of Zarbon that Raditz would truly be in Frieza’s camp.”

“What makes you think it’s your brother?” Polar asked, it was refreshing to have another commander with an actual brain around here.

Vegeta sighed. “My brother was born weak. Tarble has no power level whatsoever. It means he can hide better than anyone. Even scouters can’t find him,” the prince stated. “Father was set to send him away. That all changed when Frieza showed up. That demon took Tarble, found him a teacher, and turned him into the assassin he is today. My brother would owe Frieza a debt. For that, Tarble would sell himself to the devil.”

Cilica was shaking her head. “That’s…that’s impossible. He was my best friend, I would have known!”

“My brother is a master at hiding more than just himself. He clings to the idea that emotions are connected to weakness. Every step along this journey, he has been so detached from the rest of us. I, for one, noticed the shift when my daughter revealed our pasts to each of us. Tarble had little to no reaction. He didn’t even ask a single question about it. Instead, he was calm…too calm. The real question is if there is even a chance of saving him from Frieza at this point. There has to be something that would sway his mind,” Vegeta said.

Cilica’s mind flashed back, thinking of the younger prince. His final words made it clear to her. Tarble would have come back with her if she had chosen him. She shook her head. This was madness. There was no way that the assassin was their enemy. “How did he react to the death of his daughter?” Bulma asked.

“I didn’t even know Uva was dead,” Cilica said, feeling even worse. Why wouldn’t everyone listen to reason. Tarble was dead. He died for her. There was nothing else to even say about it.

* * *

 

Goku was pacing next to his wife’s hospital bed. She was hooked up to all kinds of weird monitors and strange things. Both of his boys were off doing who knows what. The earth saiyan finally sat down on the edge of Chichi’s bed. He took her hand in his. “You know, this isn’t what I thought our lives would be like all of those years ago,” he said quietly. “I always imagined us growing old with you chasing me around with that frying pan of yours.” He tried to smile. Goku looked away from her, feeling grief. “I should have been better. I know that you deserve more, but I can never stop being who I am. I failed to protect everything I loved. I really am the worst. No matter how much I…I love you, I just bring you more misery. You’re better off finding a man who can actually make you happy.” Goku felt a squeeze on his hand and turned to face Chichi.

The housewife was in tears. She hadn’t heard everything he said, but he sounded so sincere. “Goku…this…it’s my fault.” She coughed a bit as he came closer.

“No, it was all-” Goku started.

“I lied to you. I thought I was keeping Goten safe, but look where that got us,” the housewife said. “What you just said, did you mean it?”

“What part?” Goku asked, only for her to giggle. “Not that I was lying! I just didn’t know if you heard the whole…” Her hands landed his face. Earth’s hero stared into her eyes. It was almost as if he was seeing her in a different light. The young woman who had met him at the tournament all of those years ago was staring back at him. Goku felt at ease. “Chichi, there’s no one else that could ever measure up to you. I couldn’t ask for a better wife.”

The housewife hadn’t seen that spark in his eyes in ages. “Goku, I love you.” She closed her eyes as he kissed her. How long had it been since she felt this much fire? It had to be over a decade. Even as they separated, the two of them were left panting.

Goku purred into her neck. “When we get back to Earth…I, I want to do that thing you wanted.” She had been bothering him for over a year about it.

“You want to renew our vows?” Chichi asked, her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Goku.”

The doors to her room opened and in walked Gohan. The young man smiled down at his mother. “Are you feeling any better? That had to be rough.”

Chichi smiled at her eldest son. “It wouldn’t have been as bad if Frieza never learned who I was. Once he learned that I was married to your father, he was more than willing to torture me. Not that I was going to let that slime ball know anything. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t give him any satisfaction.”

Goku and Gohan laughed, the two of them knew just how tenacious Chichi could be. “I bet you scared Frieza more than anything. You should have taken a frying pan with you,” Goku teased.

The door opened once more and Chichi found herself staring up at muscular young man. It took her a second to realize who she was looking at. “Goten?” Her youngest looked a little nervous as she began to cry.

“Oh, don’t start crying,” Goten sputtered as his tail wrapped around his waist. “I’m not a…”

“You look so grown up.” Chichi looked down. “I should have let you do what you wanted. I just got caught up in wanting to keep you safe. I forgot what was really important.”

Goten was lost for words. “Mom, you just wanted what was best for me. I…I really should have just gone to Dad in the first place. Fuck, I could have been a lot firmer about it. I mean I did let myself wallow in shit for way too long.”

Chichi looked up her son. “Goten! Where did you pick up that kind of language?!”

“What are you talking about?” the young Son said, clearly used to military talk. “Vegeta talks this way all of the time. At least when we’re on the battlefield.”

Chichi looked furious. “I don’t care if you want to fight, but you will use your manners, young man!”

Goten sighed. “You know, I have a wife now. There really isn’t a point in treating me like a child.”

Chichi’s eyes went wide. “You got MARRIED?!”

Goten turned red. “In the saiyan way. Bra and I…”

“Bra? You married Bra? And I didn’t get to see it? I could have made a cake!” Chichi was starting to cry.

“You can still make a cake! I said it was a saiyan wedding! I didn’t think you wanted to watch me mate with my wife!” Goten said, turning red from embarrassment.

Chichi turned beet red this time. “So, there’s no legal documents about it?” Goten nodded. “No ceremony? Thank Kami. I have so many plans to look over. Tell Bulma that there’s no need for a caterer. The only one making the food for my son’s special day will be me.”

Finally, Goten felt like he could breathe. “I’m surprised that you’re not mad about Bra’s age.”

“It wasn’t that much different for me and your father,” Chichi said, looking back at Goku. Her eyes found her husband’s gi. “Goku, that’s all patches. Leave it here and I’ll fix it. You can’t go out there looking like that.”

The earth saiyan only smiled. “Whatever you say, Chichi.”

Gohan and Goten looked at each other. It was as if they missed something. Not that either of them were complaining. “Should we leave?” Gohan asked, feeling a little disturbed. His parents were never this…cuddly.

Goten grabbed his brother’s shirt and pulled him out the room. “Let’s just leave them be. I’m going to need your help anyway.”

“Need my help?” Gohan said, before turning red from the sounds that were coming from the room they were just in. “Yeah, let’s go.”

The berserker cringed but couldn’t help but smile. His father had seemed so depressed before. It looked like his parents really did love each other.

* * *

 

Nappa awoke to see what the commotion was. The large saiyan could see that the patrol was busy. It hadn’t been this alive in a long time. The older saiyan walked into the hanger and froze in place. “Prince Vegeta?”

The prince turned, finding Nappa standing there. “How?” He looked over at his wife. “Dragon balls?”

She smiled. “I needed his help to find you,” Bulma said.

Vegeta walked forward, he knew that the large saiyan had to be pissed at him for killing him. But Nappa didn’t even attempt to strike. The older saiyan only greeted him like an old friend would. “Frieza’s power over us is gone. I am sad to say that it appears that your son has fallen on the battlefield.”

“It’s regrettable. As long as he went out in a blaze of glory, I cannot fault him for that,” Nappa said, only to hear his favorite voice behind him.

“GANPA!” Flambee shouted. The small boy even jumped out of his mother’s arms and over to the large saiyan.

“You’ve been rescued,” Nappa said feeling relieved. “What happened to your tail?”

It was then that Cilica noticed the loss. She had been too focused on the death of Tarble to really think about anything else. “Fieza took it,” the boy said, confirming what she was thinking.

“We can easily make it regrow. The ingredients are expensive, but it’s still possible,” Vegeta said, only to chuckle as Cilica and Nappa stared at each other.

“Father.” The thief bowed her head. She had spent so much time as a child treating the man in front of her like garbage. She expected him to go off on her, but instead, he pulled her into a hug. “Dad…I…I can’t breathe.”

Nappa didn’t let go though. “I’m so proud that you were able to come out of that. I’m even more proud about the family you made.”

Polar laughed. “Sorry, Cilky, I can’t get you out of that one.”

Flambee frowned. “Momma, why cry?”

Vegeta sighed. “I told you that Tarble’s not dead. He may be your friend, but I assure you that my brother isn’t what he appears to be.”

Nappa listened in as he let go of his daughter. “Is Tarble around?” His voice was wary. It was almost as if he was afraid.

“No, he…he was cut down by Frieza,” Cilica said, wondering why her father had gone on edge.

“I doubt that’s the truth,” Nappa stated. “That boy was always off. I mean, he wasn’t born with anything and…Frieza handed everything to him. Power, knowledge, even technology.”

Polar butted in. “But Tarble married and left Frieza’s organization. Would a man who left Frieza’s side be that loyal?”

Nappa shook his head. “Frieza has tested Tarble’s loyalty before. Back when all of you were kids, that demon pushed the idea that you all killed your parents, but that wasn’t the case. Hell, Frieza made it look like he killed our king.”

Vegeta’s eyes went wide. “No…that’s, I saw…”

“It was all a lie. Tarble was the one that killed them all. His knowledge of poisons were so precise that he caused miscarriages in the lower classes for fun,” Nappa stated. “One year, there were no children born due to Tarble’s meddling. Frieza encouraged his findings.”

Cilica felt horrified. “But he was just a child. Frieza was using him!”

“No, it continued into his adulthood,” Nappa said. “Back when I was with you, I caught him eyeing me. I learned to never travel alone because I feared that he wanted to kill me. All he had to do was make it look like an accident,” the large saiyan said. “Frieza also tasked him with making sure that neither of you females got pregnant. Your water supply was tainted to make sure that nothing would grow. He failed to stop Mata from that fate.”

Cilica kept shaking her head. “He’s my best friend! He wouldn’t.”

“I feared for Vegeta and you as well. He mocked the adoration for his brother, but in turn, he couldn’t hide the fact that he wanted you for himself. Tarble loves you, I believe that he would do anything to get his hands on you,” Nappa said, looking down at his daughter.

“No, he…he wouldn’t…” She would deny all of this. Tarble wasn’t a monster. A monster wouldn’t kiss her like that. A monster wouldn’t tease her. A monster wouldn’t be able to love her.

Vegeta sighed. “If Goten wasn’t around this time, he probably would have attempted to kill me.”

“No, he would have known that you had mate. From there, you were no longer a threat,” Nappa said, looking at Polar. “I thought it was peculiar when you said that our blood wasn't compatible. Don’t you think it’s odd that my son could mate with a fish and Negi with a Compresian? Both of their anatomies are so different from each other, but a frost demon and a saiyan, who birth the same way, cannot?”

Suddenly, Polar felt enraged. “He came here all of the time. He must have been poisoning you!”

Cilica shook her head. “He…there’s…all of you…”

“We kept Flambee as a surprise, Cilky. No one knew about him until we announced it half way in,” Polar said, grabbing her shoulders. Why was she so insistent on Tarble being a good person?

“That’s, No! You’re all wrong!” She pulled away before leaving them all behind.

Nappa sighed. “I was afraid of this.” He looked over at his grandson. “Why don’t you go play with Bulma?”

“Okay!” Flambee jumped away as the three men remained.

Polar felt uneasy. “You believe my wife is in love with that maniac?”

Vegeta sighed. “I was informed that she liked him in the past. Tarble must have seen an opening. Mating season was last week. All of us were on a deserted moon. When those two rejoined the group, they were acting strange. My brother must have made a move.”

“The real question now is, did they give into their attractions,” Nappa said. “Seeing how she reacted, I hate to say it, but it must have happened…more than once.”

Polar wanted to feel angry, but he had no room to talk. “I’ll see if I can get it out of her. She’s been deceived by him. If I don’t comfort her now, she’ll only shatter,” the frost demon stated.

Nappa and Vegeta nodded. “We should look into Tech-Tech as well. I want to know more about this Gure,” the prince said. Vegeta didn’t like the look of this, but it had to be true. His younger brother really was a monster.

* * *

 

Cilica cried into her hands as she sat there alone. The thief didn’t like what they had to say at all. Her heart beat faster. What if Tarble was alive and being held against his will? She wished there was someway that she could speak with him…if he was even alive.

The thief began to go through the computer. She could still get into Frieza’s base. Tarble had given her the codes. The screen changed to what appeared to be her friend in a healing tank. Frieza walked by holding some kind of vial. They were putting the serum back in! Cilica took no time. She wouldn’t listen to reason. This was risky, but she had to save him. It was the only way to prove that Tarble wasn’t evil.

Cilica snuck out, using her skills as a thief. It didn’t take much to steal a pod. Her eyes were filled with tears. Polar would be angry with her for acting on impulse. She just felt like she had to make things right. If she didn’t save Tarble, she would never forgive herself.

* * *

 

Tarble chuckled. “It appears that your mother’s on her way here,” the Kaiser said, braiding his daughter’s hair. He smirked to himself. Cilica had played into his hand just as he thought she would. “Remember, Tota, she doesn’t know yet.”

“Will Momma love me?” the little girl asked.

“Just as much as she loves me,” the prince chuckled. “Now why don’t you go and practice with Miss Gure in the courtyard? I have a show to complete.” Tarble had everything planned. Cilica would become his mate. Finally, his last desire would be his and his alone. Biding his time had paid off. “Come to me, my love. This time, you’ll feel everything.”

To Be Continued…


	49. Chapter 49

Gohan was still getting over what he had just heard from their parents. How could they do something like that in such a public place? Goten was acting as if nothing happened. “So, what exactly are we looking for?”

“A traitor. One of the horde is not what he seems,” the berserker answered.

“But I thought all of you trusted each other. Uncle Raditz is innocent,” the genius began, only for Goten to shake his head. “You believe it to be another?”

“Yes. You remember Vegeta’s brother, Tarble?” Goten asked, watching his brother’s reaction.

Gohan nodded. “You kept me from back talking to him. I didn’t think you would be scared of such a short saiyan. I couldn’t even sense a ki from him at all. Was he hiding something big?”

“No, Tarble has no ki, but he makes up for it with his mind. No one can stand up to him on that front,” the berserker started. “His skills are beyond what one would expect from someone with his stature. You would have been found dead and he would have performed the task without making a sound.”

“How does that make him the traitor?” Gohan asked. “I still don’t see the parallels.” It was also astonishing to watch his brother work like this. Goten had never had a way with words, nor was he considered diligent. It was refreshing.

“That’s why we’re here. We need to find as much as possible. There has to be some link to him and all of this. The more we learn about Frieza, the closer we get to the truth,” the berserker answered. “Vegeta is trusting me to find out as much as possible.”

“If only you could have respected your teachers that much,” the genius quipped.

“The difference is that I actually cared about what he was teaching me. I could care less about that idiotic rhetoric coming from those humans,” Goten sneered.

“You know, you’re still half human. Our mother is human. Our friends back home are human. Don’t completely turn against a part of yourself,” Gohan said, turning red. He knew he had just backed himself into a corner.

“Says the guy that tossed away his saiyan side!” Goten snapped. “You don’t get to judge me.”

“You’re right. I don’t get to judge you, but you can’t make the same mistakes that I’ve made. In my life, I’ve seen a lot of bloodshed. Do you think you would be this way if you had been exposed to all of the danger so young?” Gohan asked.

Goten only rolled his eyes. “Considering how different we are, I believe I would have been fine. You were the one that didn’t want to from the beginning. You just lack a true saiyan spirit,” the berserker remarked.

The genius sighed. “I had it at one time. It’s just too dangerous for me to even use.” He looked away. “My power can be too much at times. My mind becomes cocky in that state. My life needs control and discipline. Being saiyan doesn’t allow me to have that.” Gohan was hoping that his younger brother would show some empathy. Even if they were in the middle of a warzone, there were still innocent people who had been killed or tortured because of Frieza’s orders. The genius didn’t want to think about the crimes his brother committed as a member of the horde. “I’ve seen comrades die, Goten. Their faces haunt me.”

“Then do something about it. If you were stronger it wouldn’t have happened,” the younger began, only to get a forceful punch to the jaw. The berserker landed on the floor, only to stare up at Gohan. The elder was panting. There was a look of panic in Gohan’s eyes. “What was?”

“I did what I could! I was only a child!” the genius snapped. “You didn’t have to watch dad die when you were four! You didn’t feel powerless when you were kidnapped! Hell, you didn’t watch each and every one of the people close to you get critically injured!”

Goten remained quiet as he listened. Rarely did Gohan show any kind of weakness. Sure, there was the whole human thing, but from how his brother talked about running around with their father back then, the berserker thought that Gohan had to at least be fond of it. “I’ve seen death…”

“The comrades of the horde that have died, were never next to you. You didn’t watch them take their last breath. Bra has, have you not noticed how shattered your so called mate is?” Gohan pressed.

“I still felt their deaths. To allow their fate to cloud my judgement would do me no good. They would have died in vain if I just gave up. Sure, Onuin’s death was needless, but I won’t allow Negi to die for nothing!” Goten snapped.

“I’ve never met this Negi, but you hold in him high regard.” Gohan’s eyes narrowed. He could sense that there were words that he didn’t wish to hear coming in. But he remained. If they were going to settle things, they had to get everything out in the open.

Goten didn’t even look at his brother as he said it. “He was more of a brother to me then you ever were.” The berserker finally looked up at his brother, only to find Gohan hadn’t looked away from him. “What?”

“Are you done with trying to get me riled up?” Gohan said, trying to keep his cool. “Really, you’ve done plenty of low blows, Goten, but that one there takes the cake.”

“Oh, please. Don’t give me that…” Goten started.

“You got a childhood. I didn’t. Even after the dangers were gone, I had to step in and help mom raise you. For the first seven years of your life, I handed over my life to take care of you. So what if I became selfish after Dad came back? I wanted something for myself, Goten. My life until that point was nothing but pain, suffering, and selflessness. I don’t take Satan’s money because that’s not how I want to live. I want to provide for my family. It wasn’t that fighting wouldn’t pay the bills. It just wasn’t what I really wanted to do with my life.” Gohan sighed. “I wanted to be able to retire at some point. Fighting like a saiyan doesn’t really allow that.”

Goten remained quiet as he looked away from his brother. He felt ashamed. “You could have just said that to begin with.”

Gohan ended up plopping next to his younger brother. “I guess if I was given any vice of being part saiyan, my pride does tend to get in the way.”

Goten finally gave him a smile. “At least you’re owning that you have that.”

“Human or saiyan, neither is perfect really. I just think each of us half saiyan’s need to make our own path. Maybe one side overrides the other. Maybe I was the one that got more human DNA, while you got more saiyan.”

“That would explain a lot.” The berserker grinned. “Why don’t we get back to investigating? I really do want to know if Tarble really is a traitor.”

“Considering how hostile he was with me, I don’t think we have to guess. I didn’t like him from the start,” Gohan said.

“That isn’t much to go on.” Goten laughed. “And you call yourself a scientist.”

The two kept going through information for what felt like hours. Every once in a while, a joke would be said between them. Everything seemed to be fine, that was until Gohan made a disturbing discovery. “Call everyone together. They’re going to want to see this.”

* * *

 

Polar sighed to himself. His wife had run off somewhere. It was strange. He thought she would stay close to him, but that wasn’t the case. The frost demon didn’t have much time to think things over though. He, along with most of the crew, had been called to some kind of meeting. Apparently the berserker had found something. Polar still had a bone to pick with the young man called Son Goten, but considering the circumstances, he was going to have to place grudges to the side. The higher ups wouldn’t like any of this, especially after the sabotage that was inflicted on them by the berserker, but Polar was willing to hear what the boy had to say.

The frost demon couldn’t help but laugh as the rest of the horde began to discover Raditz. The berserker ended up pulling the metal-man into a hug. Goku seemed on edge. It was like earth’s hero and Gohan didn’t know what to even say to Raditz. The bomber just shrugged at the two of them. Things would remain awkward for a while.

Vegeta cleared his throat. The prince wanted to know just what the Son boys had found. Trunks sat next to his sister and Pan as Goten came forward. The berserker could feel both his mother and father watching him. Vegeta gave him a nod, helping him shake off any nervousness that he may have had.

“It appears that the one called Prince Tarble had been in cahoots with Frieza’s army from the beginning. Actually, let me rephrase that. He’s in control of that army.” Goten pulled up a screen before anyone could question him. “While I was collecting data with my brother, we discovered that Tech-Tech’s next assigned ruler was male. Something happened within that time.”

“But Gure is the queen of Tech-Tech,” Bulma interjected.

Goten shook his head. “That is another lie. Tech-Tech used to be a democracy. It’s next prime minister was set to take office around the time that Tarble landed there.” The screen flashed, showing Gure. “Gure, as seen here, began to lead a resistance against the capital. But she has no records of even being from Tech-Tech. In fact, Gure isn’t even her real name.” A hush came over the room. “It’s Glacia.”

Polar felt a chill down his spine. “That’s…that’s Cooler’s wife.”

“Yes, I was shocked as well. In my research, I discovered that frost demons can chose what their spare forms look like. Reference data that Gohan found indicates that Tarble was never her lover, but her student instead. Glacia was an assassin.”

“But what about the children?” Polar asked. “Tarble and Gure had three kids.”

“That’s easy to explain. The first, Uva, was never their child to begin with. She was the soon to be prime minister’s daughter instead. They kidnapped her and spoiled her rotten just to plant the seed of hatred within the Tech-Techs as a people,” Goten said with a straight face.

“She had a tail though,” Uub said, challenging his rival’s words. Just who did Goten think he was? The human had never had this many people listening to him like he was some kind of commanding officer.

Goten crossed his arms with a smirk. “That was added. Tarble is a master at making poisons. Medical records indicate that it was grafted onto her body. The coroner's report also states that metal was found in it; telling me that it’s not that much different than the metal that my Uncle Raditz carries.” He felt smug about putting Uub in his place. “Any other questions?”

Polar pondered Goten’s words. The berserker had clearly done his homework. The frost demon was impressed. “Then what of the other two?”

“The son isn’t Tarble’s. It’s Cooler’s son with Glacia. In fact, there’s some guidelines about resurrecting Cooler without the use of the dragon balls. All they needed was familiar frost demon DNA. Frieza wasn’t willing to help and the son could only give so much. They needed another source,” Goten said with certainty.

“Is that why Frieza wanted Flambee?” Bulma asked, remembering that the boy was taken.

“No, it was considered too contaminated by saiyan blood to be of any use. The plan was to drug Polar and grab a sample.” Goten could see the frost demon’s shock. “I can see that you were drugged then. That would explain why Gure left here in such a hurry. With Uva dead, she knew the autopsy would come back with the truth. She had to come up with a way to confuse you.”

“Then what about Tota? Where does she fall into this?” Pan asked.

“I can tell you that there’s no frost demon blood in that girl. She is Tarble’s child, but I have yet to find the source of the egg. I believe that it was stolen though,” Goten stated.

“How do you steal a woman’s eggs? I mean, it’s not like he can just walk into a doctor’s office and steal them,” Uub said, propping his feet on the chair of the person in front of him. Goku growled, forcing the human to change up positions. Uub could see that his master and Gohan didn’t look too happy with him. They had to know about Pan. It looked like his perfect lie had been found out. At least he got some decent pussy out of it.

Goten rolled his eyes. “You do realize that eggs can be frozen? Not only that, but Tarble is an elite assassin. Getting into a restricted zone wouldn’t be a problem for him. He’s far too cunning to get caught. That’s why it took a lot of digging to even get this far.”

Gohan stood up. “Not to mention what we found about an underground association that Tarble started. Not only is he a master assassin, but he’s cornered the market on the black market. All of those dealers on Vencarzu think they have different contacts, but its all him. He controls everything.”

“I thought that someone like Frieza would have a handle on that. Not a saiyan,” Bulma said, hearing a growl from her husband. “No offense, but this sounds way too elaborate for your kind.”

“We do tend to make our intentions known. Tarble has always been a quiet one. If only I had seen the signs sooner. This could have been prevented,” the prince snarled.

“That’s not all,” Goten said, looking grim. “The order to find the dragon balls. The one that started all of this. That order came from Tarble. This has been one master plan to bring the galaxy to it’s knees, so he can conquer it. Obtaining Cilica was a side note.”

Mata’s eyes went wide. “Wait, he still wants Cilica?” She thought Tarble had pushed that thought away. “If that’s the case, can we conclude that the stolen eggs were hers as well?” Everyone stared at the sniper. “What? Cilica had some frozen. The center they were stored at had a major malfunction a couple of weeks later.”

“I would say that it’s certain then,” Nappa said. “From what I gathered with Vegeta and Polar, Tarble was the one behind my daughter’s miscarriages. It was his job to make sure that none of you got pregnant while under Frieza as well.”

Mata looked up at Turles. “Then how did I end up that way in the first place? If I was in contact with those kind of agents, I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant.”

Turles thought her words over. “We were away from base when we mated. We didn’t return until a couple of weeks later. The drug must have just been a birth control. It wouldn’t have done anything if you were already with child.”

“That and after a while, your body may have built a resistance to it. If I were to guess, it wasn’t just the women’s water he was tampering with. It had to be all of ours. Tarble couldn’t guarantee that the women were the only ones to get it,” Raditz said. “That would probably explain why many of us men used to be so horny. We were overloaded on hormones.”

Mata rolled her eyes. “Don’t make excuses for being a manwhore. Turles, Vegeta, and Tarble weren’t out for sex like the rest of you.”

“Think about that for just a second. My brother’s a spy, Turles made his own drinks out of habit. Rarely, did he ever drink the water. Tarble was the one drugging us, he wouldn’t have touched the stuff. And Vegeta…” Raditz continued.

Bulma began to laugh. “I remember, you didn’t trust anyone to make your food for you back then. I expect drinks were the same.”

“I’m of royal blood. You know how many people will take a chance to poison you.” the prince stated. “But going back to the topic of my brother. What about our parents, Nappa? You said they were killed by Tarble.”

Turles looked confused. “But I was sure that I killed my mother…” the spy said, looking down at his mate. “Raditz killed our father.”

“Negi killed our father and I killed our mother?” Mata said, looking confused.

“No, that’s not what happened. You only beat them to the edge of death. Frieza had them healed before Tarble was set to finish the job,” Nappa explained. “The only reason I survived is that I was off planet at the time. Later on, Frieza did try to get me alone, but I stuck close to someone at all times, mainly Vegeta. All these years, you’ve carried that guilt, but it was never your burden to bare.” The large saiyan tossed something Raditz’s way. “Now that all three of you are in one place, I believe it’s time you sit down and watched that.”

“What is it?” Raditz asked, looking at Turles, then to the awkward Kakarot.

“It’s a message from your father.” Nappa shook his head. “Bardock did have a sixth sense about things. Before Kakarot was born, he began to have visions. Whatever he saw, was recorded for you. I believe he knew what was coming for us.”

“Then why didn’t he try to stop it?” Uub said, gaining him more looks from those around him.

“While strong, our race was nothing compared to Frieza. Even with Hordes in place, we rarely trusted those outside of our clans. There was even hostility towards the royal family. If we could have banded together, things would have been different, but seeing as most of use were greedy, that wasn’t an option. Bardock had to know that we were headed toward a dark future…” The eldest saiyan looked away. “And he wasn’t the only one. King Vegeta stated on more that one occasion that he didn’t trust what was going on. He adored Vegeta, but mocked adoration of Tarble. Our kind weren’t the most loving when it came to our young. Strength was a priority.”

“But if he wasn’t like that, would Tarble be the person he is now?” Mata said, feeling gloomy.

Vegeta shook his head. “No, Tarble was always set to be who he is. Even without Frieza, I believe he would have been just as hungry for power. He would have felt ashamed of his existence and used that anger to fuel his desires.”

Goku was taking all of this in. His eyes went back to Nappa. “I do have a question. I was sent away as a baby. When Raditz first came to Earth, he said my power level was nothing. If that’s the case, would that mean that I was in the same boat that Tarble was?”

Nappa shrugged. “I don’t know. For the most part, you’re parents kept everything about you a secret. Gine hid her pregnancy from Frieza till the end. Bardock did entrust that information to Raditz and Turles though.”

Turles shook his head. “No, Dad never told me. I found out about Kakarot through Raditz.” He looked at his brother. “I tried to get the location out of you, but you refused.”

“Father told me that it was his final wish. I believed I was carrying out a dying man’s will. Even though I thought I was killing him for the glory of Frieza, I felt as if I would be dishonoring him by revealing such a thing.” The bomber explained. “Kakarot’s existence did seem to frighten them though. There were a few times that Zarbon dropped hints that having an extra saiyan around would spell disaster.”

Goku wondered why that was. “We should probably go watch that.” He had a lot of questions. He now had a name for is father, but still next to nothing about him.

“Goten will take part in that as well,” Vegeta stated, looking to his apprentice. “Learning more about his heritage will be good for the runt,” the prince teased.

“You’re just mad that I beat you the last time we sparred, old man.” The berserker smirked, only to shrink away slightly at the glare that was passed his way.

“Let us come up with a plan of attack then,” Polar stated. “We’ll need all of our fire power if we go against Frieza and Tarble.”

“Agreed.” The prince turned back to Goten. “Once that video is done, return here. I want you to look over our plans.”

Goten gave the prince a curt nod, only for Chichi to giggle. “You’ve become so grown up.”

“Mom! You’re ruining the moment!” the berserker whined.

Gohan held her back before she could embarrass his brother any further. “Mom, why don’t you go make all of us a hearty meal. We’re going to need all of our strength.” Without another word, Chichi was off.

“Is her cooking really that good?” Mata asked, while Raditz and Turles watched the strange woman their brother had married.

Goku grinned. “Nothing’s better than a meal from Chichi. I swear, she could take some mud and a rock, and make something fantastic with it.”

“Um, Dad, she did that once,” Gohan said, facepalming. “Don’t you remember? I was like 2…”

Goku thought that over. “Wait? Was that the farmland surprise? I thought that was just soup.”

Goten shook his head, while Gohan smiled. “And see, this is why I’m happy we have some human in us.”

Raditz rolled his eyes. “Not all of us hit our heads when we were children.” The bomber began to lead them away. “We can watch this in my living quarters. My wife should be fine with it.”

“Wife?” Goten asked. “When did a slut like you get a wife?”

“You know, Goten, I can always take that nanobot idea of yours and put it to use,” Raditz said with a dark grin. The berserker turned red and instantly shut his mouth. “Now, onto the video. I do wonder what Father wanted us to know.”

“Yeah, let's see what his final wishes were,” Turles said. “Maybe if we’re lucky, Mom’s on that tape as well.”

Goku followed. Earth’s hero had a lot of questions. He just hoped that his father had a good reason for hiding him away. Hell, maybe there was an answer to how they would defeat Frieza in that tape.

* * *

 

Cilica landed on the distant planet. Her eyes scanned the area. There had to be a way inside. All of the passages they used on their first mission had to be closed off. She was going to have to use her skills to get inside.

The thief thought out a plan, but couldn’t push any of her emotions away. Tarble had to be in pain. She was sure that he needed her help. As she snuck by a few guards, Cilica thought about stealing some armor. She would stick out like a swore thumb though. There weren’t very many females and everyone already knew what she looked like. The thief would just have to rely on stealth for this.

She creeped around corners, hoping each second to get closer to her goal. The thief noticed that security down one hall was lacking. There was no way that they were holding Tarble there. He was too much of a risk. Cilica planned to stay away, but it felt as if she was being herded back to that area. The thief didn’t like this. There was a sinking feeling in her gut that told her to head back, but she refused to listen. Instead, she chose to head into the area with a lack of security.

The thief froze in place. Garble was sitting in a chair reading a book. His body was completely still. The serum had to be involved. “Tarble…” The prince looked up at her cautiously. It was as if he didn’t trust her. “It’s me, Cilica.”

The assassin stood. His eyes looked up and down her form. “I can clearly see that. What have you come to take from me now?” Tarble spat, putting on a show.

“I…I haven’t taken anything! Frieza…” the thief began, only to be silenced.

“You believe me to be a fool. I can see it in your eyes. You’ve stolen plenty from me. There are things you can never return as well,” the prince said while ensnaring her like a spider. “And Frieza, has given me more than I can imagine. Just think about it, me, the son that was destined to be tossed away by that ogre of a father, is now at the top of the galaxy’s food chain. Through my cunning and resourcefulness, I toppled everyone else with ease. Even the galactic king would tremble at my presence.”

Cilica felt very confused. “Tarble…This isn’t you. You’ve been brainwashed.”

“No, dear Cilica, it is you that have been brainwashed. You who put your emotions on a pedestal have lost this war.” He stalked closer. “But even so, I still have these desires. The object you stole from the day I set my eyes on you, can never be returned. It’s strange how faithful I have been, while watching you fall for my enemies time and again.”

“What are you even talking about?” What had Frieza done to her best friend? This wasn’t the same Tarble that sat next to her when she was in the hospital for a miscarriage. That Tarble would be demanding her sweets from the cafeteria and making dumb jokes at the sitcoms that played. “I never stole anything from you…”

The prince answered as if he was reading her mind. “Where was Polar when you were sick? It was I who sat by your side.” Tarble grabbed her chin. “It was I who took time away from what I was doing to care for you. Why couldn’t your husband, the man you love, do that?”

“Polar had a job to do. We had bills to pay. Fertility treatments come with a price, Tarble,” Cilica began, only to be pushed against a nearby wall. A chill went down her spine as she looked down into his cold eyes.

“That’s the price of taking a frost demon as a mate, is it not?” He purred. The prince grabbed a lock of her hair. “If you had someone more… compatible, you wouldn’t have had to suffer.”

“How much did Frieza mess with you? You’re not making any sense,” Cilica said, watching his every move. This wasn’t the Tarble she knew at all. The sometimes sweet young man that would tease her, seemed to be a distant memory. “This isn’t who you are…”

Tarble chuckled. “Are you sure about that? What do you really know about me?”

“I know you’re not a maniac. You’ve never been this cold,” the thief continued. “You’re not…”

“Lord Frieza said you would react this way. I’m not really surprised. You’ve wounded me enough. How do I even know that you’re here to “save” me? For all I know, you’ve brought the rest of the miserable horde with you.” The prince smirked. “Do you wish to watch me die? Tell me, Cilky.”

The Thief turned red. “Tarble, I…I would never betray you. The last thing I would want is for you to die.”

“Show me then. If you truly are loyal to me, prove it,” the prince said flatly. He watched her reactions, waiting for her to make a move.

The thief thought over his words. “Tell me what I took from you.”

“You really can’t figure it out on your own? I figured you were smarter than that. Then again, you never saw me as anything more than a discounted version of my brother,” the prince stated while turning his back to her.

“I’ve told you before, that’s not what happened. I’ve never liked Vegeta that way!” Cilica burst into tears.

Tarble grinned to himself before putting on a different face for her. “Are you trying to say that you never loved my brother? Then who was it that you truly desired? Was it Negi? Turles? Raditz? Which man did you want from our sham of a horde? Tell me, who would you spend all of eternity with?”

Cilica felt something inside of her snap. Her eyes were still filled with tears as she looked into his eyes. “It…it was…” She felt weak, very weak. A marvelous scent hit her nose. The thief felt as her tail fluffed out. “Tarble…”

“What?” the prince stated, as his own tail began to fluff up. “Who was it that you desired? Tell me, what longings do you have?”

The thief felt her body move almost as if it she wasn’t in control of it. Her tears had dried as she came to the realization that she couldn’t hide from any of this anymore. “I…I loved you. I wanted you…” His arms came around her, allowing his scent to consume her. The prince was purring into her ear. “Tarble,” she whispered before he captured her lips with his own. It felt like she was under a spell as he took her hand and led her into a different room. Above a bed, there was a skylight. An eclipse seemed to be in effect. Heat filled her as he lowered her to the bed.

Tarble grinned. “You stole my heart, you’ve ignited my soul aflame from the moment we met.” He purred. “Now, become mine forever.” She had no time to think over his words as he caved to his emotions once more. Under the darkening sky of the eclipse, she would be his. No one would take her from him. The Kaiser had won. If only that disappointment of a father could see him now. Once their moment of heat was done, he stared down at his soon to be queen. The assassin grinned. “Now, all three of us can be a happy family.”

“Three?” Cilica looked down, finding Tarble still inside of her. “We…we can’t…”

“But we already have. Actually, I’ve just added number four.” Tarble purred. “Our second child...”

“Tarble, we don’t have a…” The thief was cut off by his lips. She felt a sharp pain in her back. Her eyes went wide as she stared up at him. “What? What did you?”

“The serum should be in affect soon. That life you had with Polar will be forgotten, as will the life of that abomination you made.” Tarble grinned. “You know how hard it is to keep up with your fertility schedule? I was so close to stopping you from mothering a child with that traitor to our cause.”

Cilica felt something in the back of her mind shatter. This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be… Tarble didn’t… he wouldn’t. “Please tell me that you didn’t…” Her body was starting to go weak from the serum. She felt dizzy as everything began to fade in and out.

Tarble purred. “I did it for us, my love. You, me, and our daughter.”

“Daughter?” Cilica said as he leaned into whisper in her ear.

“Sleep, my love.” His teeth grazed her neck. “It will all be over soon.”

“Tarble, NO!” she cried out as he bit into her. The last ounce of her strength faded as she fell against the bed, unconscious.

The assassin licked his lips before chuckling. He had upped her fertility drugs. There was no way that she would walk away from this without baring him another heir. “It is true, good things come to those that wait.” Tarble stood up and dressed. When she awoke, he would have to explain her new memories to her. Tota would be thrilled. Not only would the galaxy be his, but everything he ever desired was within his grasp.

* * *

 

Frieza chuckled as he looked over the tank that held what would soon be his reanimated brother. Not that he liked the idea of having Cooler back, his brother was annoying. But keeping Glacia happy was a must. She was just an assassin, more run of the mill than anything, but her existence kept Tarble in his camp. The frost demon knew he had more physical power, but it appeared that his creation was too smart for his own good. As long as he was seen as useful, he knew he would have to bide his time. Tarble would kill him if he saw any weakness.

The frost demon shivered as he walked by a couple of different tanks. The fact that Tarble wanted to save the remains of those two made no sense. Raditz had regained everything too quickly. Who’s to say that Negi and Onuin would be different? Then again, what did these two even have left? It would be interesting to tell them how Raditz killed their wives. Now that did sound like fun.

To Be Continued…

 


	50. Chapter 50

Raditz had to pull out more places for everyone to sit down. He never planned to entertain before, but this really couldn’t be called entertaining. He watched his wife giggle at him with his family and gave her a look that screamed that this wasn’t going to be a normal thing. The last thing he wanted was a house full of people. Even if they were his family, he was bound to get annoyed very easily. “Let’s get this over with.”

They all gathered around a large holoscreen in the middle of the apartment. The bomber could see the looks he was getting from Turles. “Did you have to get one this big?”

“How else am I going to watch the game?” Raditz stated, before talking about some space sport, only for Goten to clear his throat and get them back on track. “It’s not that new anyway. I fixed it up.” The bomber walked over, placing in the outdated chip. Luckily, it worked as the holo came to life. Raditz almost reached forward when his father’s face appeared. His mate placed her hand on his arm leading him away.

Goku stared across at the man who was his father. The chip wasn’t set to play yet. The fighter couldn’t believe how similar they were. His eyes looked over every feature, it was as if they were identical…excluding the scar across his father’s face. Goten sat down next to him, giving him some level of comfort. Earth’s hero had so many questions. Why was his birth kept a secret? Goku really wanted to know.

Turles took a deep breath. “How about we start it up. Staring at Dad isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

Raditz gave him a nod before setting pushing the last button so it would start. His eldest nephew came in as Bardock’s voice was heard for the first time by the Sons. _“This must seem awkward. Seeing me like this. If you’re watching this, I know that I have to be dead. Our planet must be gone. I can only hope that you, my children, have survived. When Frieza first came to our planet, I was wary. Something didn’t seem right. I hoped that I was wrong. But soon after, two of you were taken from us. Your mother and I mourned, our kind are warriors, but from what I gathered, Frieza planned to make you into monsters. I can only hope that if you are watching this, Raditz, Turles…that you are free from that demented monster. I bet you want answers. I can only provide you what I know. About a year ago, your mother told me about our third child. All pregnancies had to be reported to Frieza at that point. We were no longer in control. Even our King knew that he was nothing more than a peasant now. Prince Vegeta had grown rebellious, while Prince Tarble… let’s just say that child’s eyes revealed his lust for power. But I digress. The night before we set to make the report about, you, Kakarot, I had a dream. I’ve had visions from time to time in my youth, but it had been a long time since I felt hope again. In that vision, I saw more than just you. A different planet, a wife, children…even a legendary power. It spooked me a bit, but it was then that your mother and I decided to hide your existence. Few knew you were born, the only ones with the knowledge would be those of my trusted hoard. Even the king had no idea about your birth. I wanted to hope, but I knew that wasn’t going to be an option. We were headed towards death; more visions began to cross my mind. Just now we are on the eve of our destruction. Earlier tongiht, I stole a pod. I have no idea where I’m sending you. Some no name planet in the middle of space, no one would question such a thing. I can only hope you don’t blame me for hiding you away. For not leaving any part of your heritage behind for you to follow, but at that time, everything had been tainted, my sons. If you have found each other and are watching this, let me tell you how proud I am that you got this far. Stay together, trade stories, don’t let the lust for power that destroyed our kind take away what matters most. Live…enjoy the life you’ve been given and don’t toss it away like its worthless.”_

_“Bardock, we need to get going.” A young woman appeared on the screen, a baby was babbling in her arms. “Shh…Kakarot…” the baby started to cry until the father took it from her._

_“There will none of that.” Bardock said, with almost a half smile. Kakarot stared up at him. “It’s going to be a long trip, you may not remember us, but I hope you grow up strong.”_

_“Did the injections work?” Gine asked, pulling out a scouter._

_“I believe so, his power level has been stifled a bit. They shouldn’t even be able to find him.” Bardock looked a little pissed. “I hate stunting your growth. If Frieza wasn’t around, I would be pushing your power level in everyone’s face. Those arrogant elites need knocked down a few pegs.” He pulled Kakarot closer to his face, only for the infant to laugh as he grabbed his chin. Bardock smiled. “I bet you’re going to be one hell of a warrior…it’s too bad that I won’t live long enough to see it.”_

_“We need to get going.” Gine said, looking into the camera. “Raditz, Turles, Kakarot, if you’re hearing this, I love you.”_ Seconds later the transmission ceased.

Goku’s face was cast downward. He was having trouble processing his emotions right now. For the longest time, he thought he had been thrown away by his family. Then after Raditz told him about destroying Earth, he detested them. Now he just felt dirty, how could he think such horrible things of his parents? A hand landed on his should causing him to look over at Goten. How similar was he to his father, just like Bardock, Goku had missed out on Goten’s life…all of this pain and suffering seemed unfair.

Raditz sighed. “Of course, they had to make it all sappy,” He looked over at Turles. “Are you crying?”

“Just because you have no emotions, doesn’t mean the rest of us have to act like robots.” Turles snapped.

“Yeah, I do look like a robot now.” The bomber smirked, “But tears won’t solve anything. We have to move forward. Dad gave us a chance.”

“I do find what he said about Tarble to be interesting. I wonder how long Tarble’s been in Frieza’s camp.” Goku finally said.

“The moment that Frieza had him trained, he must have pledged his loyalty.” Goten said. “But was all of this for power or did he want Cilica?”

“I think power is what he really wanted. The fact that Cilica went after him was probably seen as a bonus.” Gohan stated. “I feel bad for Polar. He’s lost his wife twice now.”

“She may not be lost forever. Tarble’s a monster, I’ll agree with that, but I doubt that Cilica will let him control her forever. Her emotions are getting in the way, that’s usually a death sentence for our kind.” Raditz said, getting up from his chair. His mate had left to make snacks for some odd reason. Why was she setting this up like they were entertaining? The bomber wanted to roll his eyes, but knew that he would be stuck on the sofa if he didn’t do what she wanted.

There was an uneasiness in the room as well. Everyone knew that a battle was on the horizon, but who was worse, Frieza or Tarble.

* * *

 

Cilica groaned. The thief looked about the room. She felt confused. Where was she? This place looked strange. Her head hurt, did something happen? She pulled herself up, examining the room around her. What kind of place was this? It looked like a bedroom… but it was the middle of the day. She could tell from the clock next to the bed. Sleeping now wasn’t a good idea.

As the thief stood, someone entered the room. Her eyes fell on her best friend. “Tarble?” She felt lightheaded as he looked up at her. There was a smile on his face and his outfit was strange.

“There you are, my love.” The assassin grinned, reaching up and touching her face. “It looks like you’re finally awake. You took one hell of a beating. I’m glad you’re okay. Tota and I were worried.”

“Tota?” The name sounded funny to her. Where had she heard that name before?

“Our daughter, she’s been worried sick.” Tarble said, pulling her closer. “You must have really hit your head.”

Cilica felt funny. She felt some pain at her shoulder, finding a bit mark there. Did this mean that Tarble was her mate? “How long have I been out?” She asked, almost purring as he smiled at her. His tail crept around her waist.

“It’s been a month, my love.” He pushed himself up, so they could kiss. “Come walk with me, there’s much for us to discuss.” She locked arms with him as they left their quarters.

The thief looked around the base she was in. Part of it seemed familiar, but most of it was still coated in shadow in her mind. Guards seemed to be escorting them. Were they important? She really had to be out of it to forget all of this. “Tarble, where are we?”

“This is our kingdom, my queen.” Tarble stated. “That lizard Frieza, owes me a debt. I took care of his army while he was away…not that they think of themselves as being his anymore. All of this is ours now.”

Cilica felt a chill go down her spine. His confidence…it was so attractive. “I want to see our child.” She said, as he walked her by a room that appeared to be locked up. “What is that place?”

“Don’t you mind that place. A queen shouldn’t worry about those kinds of things, especially when you’re expecting.” Tarble stated with a smile. He pulled her into a suite just for Tota to get up from the floor.

The small girl took one look at her mother before pouncing. “Mommy!” She giggled as she was pulled tightly into a hug. “Papa said you would come!”

Cilica felt tears fall from her face. She remembered having a child. She snuggled into her daughter, smelling a mix of her father and her own scent on her. It was a strange smile, it was almost as if she had never taken in this scent before. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” She pulled her child as close as possible while Tarble sat next to her. Her eyes met his. “I love you.”

Tarble grinned. “As much as I would like to stay here, there is business I must attend to. I will see you later tonight.” He leaned forward, kissing her brow before kissing his daughter’s forehead. “Is there anything my queen and princess desire from me when I return?”

“Ice cream!” Tota said feeling excited.

“I can arrange that.” Tarble said with a smile. “Don’t forget your training is in a few hours.” He walked over to the door, everything was just as he always wanted. His mate was beyond beautiful. His emotions soared. Maybe he was wrong about feelings after all.

* * *

 

Vegeta looked around the hanger. Everyone appeared to be ready. Ships were stocked with supplies, the smell of gunpower filled his nose. How long had it been since he had witnessed something like this? Normally, it was just him going into the heat of battle. His horde along in the past, with Kakarot and those humans later in life. Here he was…in the place where he would have stood as a child. The prince looked to his side, it was almost as if he was imagining it. He could have sworn that he sensed a presence near him. No one he knew was standing there. The prince closed his eyes, it was almost as if he could feel a hand on his shoulder. Behind his eyes, he was a child again. His father gave him a proud smile. In those eyes, he could see some pain. Vegeta thought of Tarble. How would their father react if he knew… That’s when the prince shivered. Their father knew… Tarble had been the one to kill him.

The prince growled. He had been made a fool of. He was a crowned prince. He would prove that he belonged at the top of the pack for a reason. Tarble may have won this round, but the war was far from over.

“Don’t think too hard, you’ll give yourself a headache.” Goten said, walking up to the prince. Nothing was said between them for a couple of minutes. The berserker had never seen his master this tense, especially before battle. “Are you doubting yourself?”

Vegeta snarled. “Me? Doubt myself? What kind of rubbish are you spouting now?”

The half blood sighed. “You’re worried about facing Tarble. Even if he’s a monster, he’s still your brother.” Back when he believed his entire family was against him, Goten thought he had it bad, but it was almost impossible to imagine how it would feel to have his brother as a scoundrel. Tarble had played like he was their ally. He had used their trust. The blood of Negi was on that bastard’s hands. Raditz wouldn’t have been injured if Tarble hadn’t made this plan…then again, the bomber would still be dead. It was painful to say or think, but without Tarble…would he have ever discovered himself? Would he had ever found the courage to grow stronger like he was now? It was hard to say. The last thing he wanted was to thank that bastard.

“I was careless. He had always been weak. I trusted that I knew everything at first glance when it came to him. But that’s where I failed.” Vegeta tried to think back for any clue that his brother was a monster, but there was nothing from their childhood that could give him an answer. A small smirk graced his lips. “It feels as if he’s challenging me. Part of me feels excited about what comes next…but if I have to kill him…” Never had a kill depressed him so much. “If you asked me to do this decades ago, I would have done it with ease…”

“Yeah, you’ve become a softy.” Goten teased. “If it comes down to it, I’ll kill him for you…I don’t know what kind of chance I have. Figuring out where he is will be a lot harder.” Sensing Ki would be useless here.

“I allowed him to become the monster he is today. The one to kill him should be me.” The prince thought back to his father again. “It’s the only way for me to restore my father’s honor.”

The berserker became serious as the rest of the saiyans began to gather around them. Even Polar was set to leave this place behind. “I believe everyone here has a reason to take down that bastard. He helped rip us apart…but he also pulled us together…it’s not just your honor, Vegeta. Let us all regain the pride and honor of our people. Now, who wants to go dismantle a freezer?”

Vegeta grinned. “You’ve come a long way, My apprentice.”

“Just try to keep up old man.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late, but here it is. I just had a long day today.


	51. Chapter 51

The ships shook as they entered the atmosphere. It had been a rocky trip. When they had first approached the planet, they were bombarded with gun fire. This had to be the place. Vegeta growled as they took on fire, but felt proud that this wife had made upgrades to the ships shields. The prince took in the landscape around them. Before he had seen it as a home, now that he was back, he growled. Frieza planned to bring Bulma here…to torture her. Tarble had started this road of deceit. Neither of them would be forgiven, the prince pushed his suffering away. There was no way that he could feel anything for his enemies. Even if he felt like something had happened to his brother, he couldn’t allow his mind to stay so weak. Tarble had to be taken out here, if he wasn’t they didn’t, this would happen again. Vegeta was sure of it.

Finally, the ship landed on the planet. Goten motioned soldiers forward. The gates were about to open up. Gun fire could be heard outside. He took a deep breath. Behind him stood his father and brother. Bra was told to stay behind, her and Pan were told to protect the patrol if it was needed. Trunks was to his right, the heir appeared to be calming himself. Uub appeared to want out of this place. The human didn’t agree to come out here, he was dragged by Goku.

Patrolmen waited for their orders. Goten was planning to look to Polar or Vegeta, but both were distracted. His mentors mind was plagued by the images of his brother’s betrayal. Polar, on the other hand, had to be thinking about Cilica. The berserker found himself looking at the soldiers. He looked over the mess outside. The troops were panicking the longer they waited. “Take cover when you get outside. Don’t stop for the dead, think of your own life going forward. Don’t think about keeping anyone alive. We have to stop everything with this attack, taking prisoners isn’t a priority.” He walked close to the doors himself. Signaling to those around him that he would be going out on the front lines with them. “We have to make a clear line to the base. If we can’t do that, we’ll fail. Toss away every emotion you have. Anger is all you need.”

Goku planned to grab Goten to stop him from running out with those on the front lines, but to his surprise, the one who held him back was his eldest son. “Let him go.” Gohan said, watching his brother leave. “This is his path, we’ve held him back too long.” He grinned. “If anyone can clear our path, it’s him.”

“I doubt he’ll be that much help.” Uub grumbled, only to get tossed into the wall of the ship by Trunks. The human coughed up some blood, staring up the lavender saiyan. “Does every saiyan have anger management problems?”

“Only when a loser like you gets to walk free. You should be out there, risking your life.” Trunks stated. His eyes found his father. They shared a nod. All they could do was wait now.

Turles walked by with Raditz. Equipment was passed between them. Mata had already run off. She was looking for a good spot. She knew were all of the good assassin points were. Turles made sure that she went with a few soldiers as back up.

“What are you going to do with that?” Goku asked, staring at the large bomb that Raditz had attached to him. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to blow yourself up again.”

Turles shook his head. “If he does that, I’ll kill him.” The spy walked around, adding a few different kinds of ammo to his pack. “We don’t know what we’ll find. It’s good to be prepared.”

“This baby is for the sewer systems. When Goten gets the path clear, I can head down and seal off any tunnel exits.” Raditz said, “I have a detonator for it. “If anyone would kill me for dying now, I think it would be my wife.” The bomber didn’t want anything to get in the way of him seeing his child either.

Vegeta finally joined the group. He walked over, staring at the battlefield. “Remember, trust no one. Tarble has proven to be our enemy. Don’t let your guard down.”

Nods were exchanged, but no one said anything. Even Polar was silent.

* * *

 

Goten heard the laser blasts growing. He was glad that Bulma fixed up his armor before he left. The half saiyan could tell that he was being watched by the soldiers. It was as if they trusted him. He scanned the lines in front of him, looking for signs of weakness. He knew that scouters were everywhere out there. Their moments would be tracked. “Remember what I said! Never stop!” He powered up, letting his anger take hold. Rage began to fuel him. He snarled, letting himself immerse himself in it. One thought came to him, if he failed here, he would never return to his mate. The once lost Son now had a path, a future. He wasn’t going to let anyone, or anything take him, not even the cruel hands of death.

Gold streamed around his body, followed by black. The berserker snarled as he stared down his enemy. “Follow me, to victory!” He rushed forward, laser blasts stung his skin lightly, but did nothing more. He roared, feeling those behind him. There were some fallen, but he couldn’t focus on such things. They were to hold this line. The berserker stood in place for a second, collecting the energy from the lasers around him. He built up that power, pushing it back at those who targeted him. Cries of death were heard, they only fueled his fire and rage. Goten found the hole in their defenses, it didn’t take much to steer the soldiers to follow him. Barriers were being built at the same time. Transmitters were placed, making walls between them and their enemy. A clear track would be made. The ground was covered in blood of different shades and colors, Goten’s armor looked as if it was painted. He snapped his teeth as he rounded a corner. A large gathering of the enemy was stationed there. Their lasers were set to their highest settings. A wall of fire appeared around the berserker, laughter was heard from the Frieza Force.

The patrolmen began to back away, only for the fire to split. His hair was a little singed, but other than that, there were no marks on him. Goten glared down at those who thought they could kill him. His eyes filled with a twisted kind of pleasure. His hands came together as he fired a massive energy blast into the wall of soldiers. Frieza’s men cried out as their bodies were ignited, bombs around them went off, shaking the earth. Goten walked forward as a few patrolmen attempted to clear the bodies out of the way. “Just step on them. Don’t give them any respect, trust me, they would have ignored you.” The saiyan rushed forward, tagging a few that were injured. His mind was now lost to the rage inside of him. All he wanted to see was death. No one was here to control him or hold him back. He had his mission. Getting it done was all that mattered.

Finally, he reached the inner walls. He sent up an energy blast. The signal was sent. Now it was time to hold this ground while everyone else hurried this way. He took a deep breath, only to feeling something to his side. Goten turned quickly, finding a face he didn’t expect. “Negi?”

The sweeper stared back at him. “How does some scrub know my name?” He sped through the air, planning another attack, only for the stranger to spin around, tossing him back against some rocks. Negi wiped his face. “So, you have some fight, kid.”

Goten’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t you. You’re being controlled.” The berserker snapped as he held back. His rage was waning.

“Oh, please. I have nothing back home, it’s all cause of you! My family is dead! Tarble told me everything! You killed them! All of you betrayed me!”  Negi snapped, rushing forward for another quick attack. He was still surprised that he could go super saiyan. He didn’t remember how that happened, but he would gladly take it. “So, fight me like a man!”

Goten blocked the hit. “He’s lying to you!” He was pushed back into a wall. “Mata’s here too!”

“Don’t talk about that whore! She’s done enough!” Negi snarled. He had seen everything. “A runt like you doesn’t know anything about me!”

Goten felt himself breathing heavily. Something had to have happened to Negi. His body was stronger than before. “That’s right, I’m a runt! You’ve always called me that!” The Son said, feeling the brunt of the sweeper’s speed. “What about Onuin? He’s dead too.”

The stranger’s words threw off the sweeper. Why did the boy think that his friend was dead? He just saw the large man. “See, you’ve been lied to. Not me.”

Goten coughed up some blood. Negi had hit hip hard in the chest. He was barely able to hold himself up. The soldiers around him had remained at the opening of the base. The battle with Negi had forced him off course. He stared up at the sweeper who was planning to fire a blast through his head. “Then what about your son?”

Negi stopped in place. “Son? I don’t have a son…where would you get an idea like that?”

Goten took a deep breath, “Your wife died in child birth.”

The sweeper shook his face. “No…she died…she died in a raid…”

“Before the raid happened, she brought him into the world. He’s not even a month old.” Goten explained. “I know it seems impossible right now, but you need to trust me. Me, Mata, the horde, we’re not your enemy. Tarble’s the one who fucked us all over. Frieza sent the raid to the patrol that killed your family…” Negi seemed lost for words. “Don’t play into his hand and lose your life. Don’t lose the last bit of family you have!”

Negi felt like he had been hit with a wall. Why did this kid’s voice sound so familiar? This boy talked a little like Vegeta, but there was a difference. Images came to mind. The horde was together, a strange boy was brought to them…strange clothes, no confidence…teasing, common ground, his eyes began to tear up as he fell to his knees. His head hurt as more images came to minds. Was he really this weak? To be manipulated like this more than once. “Runt?” The memory of what was supposed to be his death came to mind…he had been protecting the princess. He gave his life for everyone. “Was I really tricked?”

Goten finally smiled. “I still owe you, Weakling. You did save my mate.”

“Mate?” Negi looked back at the kid. “You and Bra mated?”

The berserker nodded. “We did, but I won’t get back if I don’t take care of Frieza and Tarble now.” Goten said. “Help me, that way you can get to your son.”

Negi stood once more, he looked around the battlefield, then back to the kid. “You look like you really got a beating. Did you take some time off from training?”

“You did that, you idiot.” Goten watched as Negi offered him a hand, helping him to his feet. “If you’re reactions are correct, then Onuin is still alive in there.”

“Yeah, I saw him a little while ago. Tarble was dressed a little strange. I think he said something about Cilica, but I didn’t catch most of that.” Negi said, as he was walked back to the opening of the base. “I guess there was some good in this.” He pulled out a key card. “This will get anyone in any door.” The patrol soldiers looked wary of him but didn’t say anything since Goten knew him.

The berserker turned his face back, finding the rest of their group. “Good job, kid.” Turles stated, only to stop in place. “How the hell are you alive?”

Gohan looked at the man standing next to his brother. He remembered that face from the wanted posters. This was the one called Negi. “I have no idea. But this should give you better access.” His eyes fell on Vegeta. The prince drew closer, he felt like backing away. He had failed and allowed himself to be captured by an enemy. He closed his eyes expecting to be hit, but instead, Negi was touched on his shoulder. The sweeper opened his eyes to find the prince staring at him. It appeared that he was getting praised.

“You put my daughter’s life before your own, I can never repay that debt.” Vegeta said, “I will make sure that you get back to your son.” That’s really all he could offer the sweeper at the moment.

Blasts appeared around them as Raditz pushed by them, on his way to the sewers. “Be careful, Onuin’s down there.”

The bomber stared up at Negi. “I guess they knew what I would do. Get the kid and Neg’s one of those beans. This is far from over.”

Vegeta nodded. The prince looked over the dead as Polar walked up next to him. “Do you know any more, Negi?” The prince asked.

“I saw Tarble, he seemed smug. I don’t know what’s going on. Did he have his brain messed with too?” Negi asked as Vegeta looked away from him. He noticed that the rest of the horde didn’t look very happy about Tarble in general. “Don’t tell me that he’s a traitor…”

Turles sighed. “We believe that he has Cilica prisoner.”

“Oh, I know where that is. I walked by it, but he told me that she was in there freshening up.” The sweeper said, only for Polar to growl. “Why don’t I take you there.”

“Please do.” The two ran off, leaving the rest.

“Let’s focus on finding Frieza. That overgrown lizard has to be somewhere.” Vegeta said. Leaving Tarble to Polar was for the best. This way his emotions couldn’t get in the way. “Let’s go.”

Goku looked over at his son. Goten appeared to be in a better mood. “Someone needs to hold the lines here.” The berserker stated.

“Your brother, Trunks, and Uub can do that.” Goku said. “This is your battle, it would only be fair if you saw it to the end.” Earth’s hero said with pride.

“I could use some back up.” Goten turned red from embarrassment. He had never seen his father this proud of him before.

Goku grinned. “Let’s get going.” Turles had followed Raditz down to the sewers, leaving the father and son to go after Vegeta. The ground shook once more, telling them that there was no safety to be found. They were in a true warzone. The sky was filled with smoke and the scent of death, what a day to be a saiyan.

* * *

 

Cilica had just finished braiding her daughter’s hair when she heard the chaos outside. She pulled her child close, it looked like someone was after their home. “Tota, dear, let’s go find your father.”

The little girl leapt over, changing her clothes quickly. “Momma, he should be in the control room.” Tota took her hand and led her out of their quarters. Cilicia felt useless. She couldn’t even remember her home this much. The fact that someone was attacking now while her child was here pissed her off. She wished to help her mate, but now wasn’t the time for that. The thief needed to find him.

They walked down the busy corridors without a problem. Soldiers were running past them to secure the front lines. Cilica found herself in front of the room that Tarble told her to ignore earlier. Tota pushed the door open, only for her to find a tank with a frost demon sleeping in it. She stared at it in shock, something seemed familiar about it.

“That’s Cooler. Glacia has done me a favor, bringing back her husband seems to be fair.” Tarble said appearing in front of her. “You heard the commotion outside. It’s intense.”

“Why have they come?” Cilica asked, fearing for her daughter’s safety.

Tarble sighed. “They wish to take you away from me. How comical of them, they think you love some frost demon named Polar.”

“I don’t even know anyone named that.” The thief stated. “I only love you.” Tarble smiled at her. “Even if they try, they can’t take me away from you.”

The Kaiser felt his heart squeeze. “You’re right, my love.” He purred. “Nothing but death can take you from me.” His mind flashed though. He fell to his knees as flashes of his past came back to him. He was getting too comfortable with his emotions. He shook a bit as his eyes dilated, the scene around him changed. He heard no sounds around him, only his own screams Frieza appeared in front of him…followed by Glacia…Cooler…King Cold…then the worse offender of them all. The true source of all of his pain and suffering. Agonizing pain shocked him over and over. The graphic beatings came to life. His hatred grew. His father sent him here, his captors said as much. Every time he cried, he was beaten. It wasn’t until he was a blank slate that his suffering ended. But did it?

Cilica pulled Tarble into a hug. “Tarble, wake up…I’m here.” Her voice penetrated the darkness so easily. He was panting as he came back to the present. It was as if he had stopped breathing. Her eyes were filled with tears as he smiled at her.

“Let’s prepare to leave this place.” Tarble said, touching her face. “Your safety is the most important thing right now.” The Kaiser looked to his daughter. “You know what to do.”

The little girl jumped up before Cilica could stop her, the glass shattered, sending the body to the ground where it flopped around before it stopped moving. Tota stabbed it a few times in the chest. “It dead, Papa.” There was a small cut across her cheek from the broken glass.

“Good, Frieza will meet his end soon. Let us leave this place.” Tarble stated. “Our true home awaits us. Then you’ll get to see your baby brother or sister.”

Cilica was prepared to follow him when her own mind flashed. Tarble was moving around quickly, not noticing what she was doing. The thief looked between Cooler and her daughter. Why did she think that she had a boy and why was a frost demon making her think that? “Tarble, who is Flambee?”

“Don’t concern yourself with such nonsense, my queen. We have to get out of here.” Sorbet will escort you from here.

“But what about you?” Cilica asked. She felt afraid. Not only was she confused about her memories now, but what if Tarble was hurt.

“I’ll come after you soon. There are just a few things that I need to secure before leaving this place.” He leaned up, kissing her. “I will return.”

Cilica allowed herself to be taken away, but couldn’t help but feel as if she was missing something. It was only when Tota let out a scream that she understood what had happened. Glacia stood behind her. The frost demon looked enraged. Hundreds of memories came forward, including the night before with Tarble. This day had been a lie.

Glacia grinned as she looked over the female saiyan, who appeared to look broken. “I don’t see what that boy likes about you. Then again, crushing you will be enough to get him back to normal. Where I need him to be.”

Cilica turned her gaze to the frost demon. “Just who the hell are you?!” She snapped. After so much betrayal, who dared to come after her as she mourned a friendship that was nothing more than a lie. She loved Tarble…she didn’t want to be his obsession. “Answer me!”

The frost demon giggled. “You have a lot of bite. I guess that might be a reason. Tarble’s still a saiyan, he would like that in a mate. It would be a good thing if you refused him.” The thief gave her a funny look. “No student of mine needs extra baggage. You’re in the way, Tota was bad enough.”

Cilica suddenly realized who this person was. “You were the one that took Tarble away when we were kids…the one that turned him into an assassin.”

Glacia giggled once more. “Yes, but recently, you called me another name… Does Gure ring a bell to you?” She transformed just so the saiyan could see. “Being so close to him, I really did get to shape his mind. To think that he pushed my teachings away just to take you for himself. But as of late, he’s been rebelling from my teachings. He’s following you and now he’s destroyed my chance at bringing back my lover. Now I can only return the favor.”

Cilica felt sick to her stomach. “What did you do to him?” There had to be an answer for all of this.

Glacia walked away. “He was such a kind boy at first. The raw emotions in him would have gotten in the way of everything. We had to beat it out of him. All of us were savage, his blood was interesting. But one day, he awoke to what he is now…what he was before you got in the way. Anyway, he grew to be better than I expected.” She planned to circle around them. “Even then, he liked you. Convincing him that he would never be strong enough to have you was easy. That boy lacked confidence and I gave it to him. The nights you could have helped him, I was there feeding the soon to be Kaiser. He’s my creation and you’re ruining him. It’s a good thing I touched that husband of yours, even if his seed was wasted due to your interference.”

Cilica snarled. This person. She was the one to blame for all of this. Her best friend was destroyed by this monster…she touched Polar…This bitch would pay. She shot up, landing next to the frost demon. Glacia changed forms, preparing for a fight. Massive blades were pulled out instantly. The thief hadn’t really thought about fighting an assassin before. The speed was unlike anything else she had seen before. She thought Negi was fast, but the precision of those blades put that speed to shame. Cilica narrowly got out of the way more than once. She would have powered up an attack, but she wasn’t given the time to power up. The thief was backed in a corner with nowhere to go.

“Say goodbye!” Glacia laughed, only for her to be punctured from behind. The frost demon seemed confused as blood leaked down to the floor. Her eyes turned back. “Tota…”

A laugh was heard from the other side. “I have everything I wanted from the experiment. Your life means nothing now.” A strange blade pulled free from Glacia’s chest, leaving Tarble standing there. He didn’t look at Cilica. “That was a good hit, Princess.”

“Did you see, Papa!” Tota said with excitement. The girl frowned. “Why do you look so sad, Papa.”

Tarble was putting up his walls once more. He heard what they were saying. Cilica knew what he had done. He expected her to hit him. The blank slate was rising higher, only for him to feel a wave of shock as she hugged him.

Cilica held him close to her. She knew what he had done…but if she left him now, then Tarble would be back to square one. “Don’t hide your emotions from me. Not anymore.” The thief knew this was wrong, that she should return to Polar, but…that was impossible now. “You don’t have to face the darkness alone. Let me help you, Tarble.”

Tarble felt shocked as he backed away from her arms. This wasn’t right. “Don’t do this.” He was starting to hyperventilate. “You don’t get to do this.”

“Papa?” Tota winced in fear as her father’s voice grew louder.

“Scream at me! Attack me! Try to fucking kill me! Don’t just stand there and pity me!” He snarled.

Cilica reached forward, but he flinched away before running off into the fighting. She could see plenty of weapons on him. “Tota, let’s go after him.” She knew this road wasn’t going to be easy. But it’s the only think she could do at this point. The monster inside of Tarble could still be saved. A true monster couldn’t love. She just needed to save him before his emotions disappeared for good. Hopefully, she would get a chance.

To Be Continued…


	52. Chapter 52

The sewers stunk of putrid garbage as the two brothers made their way through the sea of tunnels. “Are you sure that we’re going the right way?” Turles said, looking over at his brother.

Raditz chuckled. “You doubt me?” He could see that Turles was getting annoyed. “Remember, we should stay quiet. Onuin is down here.”

“How is that a problem again?” Turles stated. “Even with he serum, we’re smarter than he is.”

“It would be better to get there without getting anyone’s attention. You should know that, you’re a spy.” Raditz teased.

“You used to be the adventurous one. I keep expecting you to start shouting down the tunnels.” A smirk appeared on the spy’s face. “Did your wife get to you?” Turles still wanted to know more about that. “Seriously though, how the hell do you two have sex? She’s so small.”

Raditz turned red. “You really have no imagination. Now enough talk of my wife and more on the mission.” Turles must have really wanted to annoy him.

“Oh, look at mister responsible.” The spy teased. “I’m just trying to brighten up the situation. When we get back, we have family waiting for us.”

“Unlike me!” A roar sounded through the tunnels as a rock wall crumbled open next to them. Both brothers prepared themselves as a raged filled tank stared them down. He was seething as he attempted to attack the two of them. Raditz and Turles barely got out of the way.

“See, this is why I told you to shut up!” Raditz snapped. The bomber sped around, ending upside down on the ceiling of the sewers. He did like some of the functions of his new limbs, but that didn’t mean he was out of the woods. They were still in a pretty cramped area.

Turles dodged a few of Onuin’s punches. “We’re not your enemy!”

“Liars! You betrayed me!” The large saiyan snarled, punching another wall and sending debris down. He laughed. Some of it landed on Turles’s ankle, leaving the spy locked in one place. “Now you pay.” He roared in pain as a blast hit him in the back. Onuin turned to stare at Raditz with hatred.

The metal saiyan glared back. “If you’re after anyone, it would be me. I killed your wife and children.” Raditz admitted. The memory of twisting Aquaria’s neck came to mind. “But you still have something left, you have sons.”

“You took her from me! I’ll kill you!” The behemoth snarled. He began to go after the bomber but ended up stepping on something. He heard something beep loudly. “What’s this?”

Raditz’s eyes narrowed as he coldly jumped up, kicking Onuin across the face. “You won’t be happy unless you’re dead. Tarble has fooled you, that mine should go off in a few seconds. Calm yourself before death takes you.”

Onuin tried to get the bomb off, only to scream in panic. He was trying everything he could think of, even dousing it sludge wasn’t doing anything to stop it. He began to cry.

Turles placed his hands over his ears, but was shocked as Raditz walked over and pushed the rocks off of his ankle without urgency. “What about?”

“Shh.” Raditz motioned for his brother to follow him. The large saiyan was crying out, not realizing how much time had passed. “Seriously, we’re adults and I still have to get you out of danger.”

“That wasn’t really a bomb, was it?” Turles asked, feeling dumb.

Raditz smirked. “Its just an alarm clock that my wife developed when she was a kid. I figured that would work on him. Onuin was never known for his brain. Now let’s get these tunnels blown up.”

Turles nodded at him with a grin. “I knew you were the smart one.” He sighed. “Do you think Onuin will be alright?”

“He’s been pumped full of serum. It’s going to take some time, even longer with him being an idiot. Tarble must have fed him some premium lies this time. Although, me killing his family wasn’t wrong. I did do that.” Raditz stated. “Frieza ordered it of me, I can only guess that Tarble made the original order.”

The spy silently agreed. “I doubt that anything can be done to save Tarble at this point.” He said with a sigh.

“Maybe by the end of this, we’ll finally know the truth.” Raditz motioned for Turles to follow him. “We have about ten minutes till this goes off. Let’s return to the surface and get in some action.”

“Yeah, we can’t have Goten having all of the fun, can we?”

* * *

 

Polar dove down the hall with Negi in front of him. They were pushing soldiers out of the way with ease, killing without a second thought or glance. The two found their way to the room where Cilica was being held, only to find her gone. Both men seemed stumped. “I know that she had to be here at one time.” Negi stated, sniffing the air. “I can smell her and Tarble here.”

Polar walked around, looking for any sign of his wife. He was shocked when he came across her underwear on the floor. He snarled. Tarble just kept taking this too far. The frost demon felt more than pissed as he found a bottle of a fertility drug stashed on a nearby table. That fiend had more plans for his wife’s body. “I’ll crush that pipsqueak when I find him.”

Negi sighed. “There has to be more to this.” He looked through a cabinet, finding a strange chip on a bookshelf. He didn’t know what he was looking at, but pocketed it. It could be useful later. “Let’s get out of here. They can’t be far off.”

Polar agreed, following Negi out of the room and down the hall. He had to say that the sweeper was already proving to be more useful than Rouge had been. “Do you miss your wife?”

Negi stilled for a second. “That’s a stupid question. Considering that she’s dead, I have to miss her.” There was some freedom in losing his mate. He could take another if he wished… not that he really wanted to do so. He had actually loved her quirkiness. “We need to focus on the task at hand.” The sweeper stated. “Why don’t we split up? I bet we’ll cover more ground. There is a healing room just west of here. That’s where I was kept, along with that experiment called Cooler.”

Polar narrowed his eyes. “Then I’ll go there. Where will you go?”

“Who knows.” The sweeper wanted to see what was on this chip. Tarble wouldn’t keep anything like this if it wasn’t important to his cause. For some reason, he felt that he shouldn’t show any of this to the frost demon in front of him. Polar gave him a funny look. “I do want to find my sister though. She has mourned enough for me.”

Polar shook his head, leaving the saiyan alone. He had business to attend to. The frost demon didn’t have to fight his ways through the halls. He only had to keep track of where he was. Every room he passed, he kicked open the door. It appeared that Vegeta, Goku, and Goten had taken care of most of the soldiers he would have seen.

Finally, he reached a room with a strange lock on it. He bashed it in, finding something sickening on the floor. Two dead frost demons. One sliced up with a blade in more than one place, the other looked closer to a deformed fetus. He could only guess that this was Cooler. The other was clearly Glacia. He glared at her, but she was already dead. These weren’t the blades of one of their men. This was the work of an assassin. He growled. What was Tarble even planning? Why go to all of the trouble of creating Cooler if he wasn’t going to use him?

The frost demon found another door, only to find two sets of footprints leaving the room. One belonged to a child. Polar thought back to Tota. Did Tarble take her this way…? No, there was a larger set at the front. Cilica was headed towards the assassin. He snarled, following the path in front of him. He was wary at the maze this building had to be. Just what was Tarble thinking about when he designed this? This was the work of a madman though.

Polar heard a voice, he almost jumped as Tota spoke. “Momma? What’s wrong with Papa?”

Cilica sighed, dropping to knees in front of the child. “Tota, your dad needs help.”

“But I can help him fight if he…” She began, only to be silenced by the thief.

“He needs a doctor, Tota. He’s very sick. So, when this is done, you can come live with me and visit him. Does that sound good?” Cilica said, trying her best.

Tota squirmed out of her mother’s arms. “You want to put Papa in a cage! You’re just like them!” The girl shouted while crying. “Are you going to lock me up too!”

Cilica felt confused. “I never said anything about locking anyone away.” She could see the girl shaking in fear. Just what had happened?

Polar rushed forward, looking down at the two of them. He wasn’t amused. “No, I’m the one who will be locking him away.” His wife stared up at him in shock. “We’ll talk about your infidelity later. There’s no way that creep is going to be allowed to see the light of day again!”

Tota shivered, backing away from his glare in fear. Cilica wrapped her arms around her child. Polar looked beyond pissed. “Polar, I know you’re angry, but don’t take it out on her. She’s only a child.”

“A child created out of some sick fool’s obsession with my wife. She’s an abomination.” Polar snapped, only to regret his words as he was slapped hard across the face by his wife.

She growled. “Tota didn’t get to choose any of this! Don’t take it out on her! Take out your anger on me!”

“Fine, why the hell did you come out here? I’m your husband, not Tarble! You scared our child, the patrol is up in arms about whether you’re still loyal to them, and looking at you now, I don’t think you even love me anymore.” Polar shot back.

“I do still love you! But how would you feel if your best friend became had some kind of illness! You would want to help them, wouldn’t you?!” Her eyes were too dry for tears. “Polar, I know that I can get Tarble the help he needs.”

A laugh was heard from the doorway. “Help? That’s rich. It’s just as Tota says. You want to lock me away in a padded room.” Tarble stepped out of the darkness and into the light. His weakness from earlier had been cured. All he needed was to go find something to take the edge off. The Kaiser stared at his enemies. Everyone was out to get him, they were always out to destroy him.

Polar glared back at the saiyan prince. The aura around this one was different than it used to be. Back when he believed they were friends, this man had been like a crutch for him. Staying with his wife when she was ill. Stepping in and paying him when the patrol gave him little. It did seem odd that this man was the one that betrayed him so much. “You won’t get away with this.”

Tarble chuckled. “But I already have. My second child is growing in Cilica as we speak,” He turned his back to the two, closing his eyes and sensing the room. Positions were given away by the sound of breathing around him. It echoed off the walls in a way that no one else but him could understand. “but that wasn’t my main objective. Galactic domination has always been a must for someone like me.”

“Why? It’s like you’re out to prove something.” Polar spat, only for Tarble to snarl. “I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I? You can’t get past your own weakness. You’re just a weak minded, scrawny man!” Suddenly, Polar spat out blood. No one had see the action, but there was a large cut taken out of the side of his neck. The frost demon fell over as Cilica screamed.

Tarble looked back over his shoulder. He smirked. “Let’s get one thing straight. No one calls me scrawny, you got that?” He chuckled darkly. He could see that Cilica was trying to figure out how he moved so fast. “An assassin never reveals their tricks, my love.”

The thief placed her hand over her husbands wound. She stared up at Tarble as he walked closer. “No MORE! Haven’t you done enough!”

His face looked deranged as he gazed at her. “He won’t die from that. I could have killed him with ease, but alas, I have better things to do. Tota, come along. Your mother has chosen her fate.”

Cilica turned to look at the little girl, but found her gone. As she twisted her head around, she found her back in Tarble’s arms. “Where are you taking her?!”

The prince smiled. “Back where this began. You’ll find it, in time.” He turned his back to her once more. He could sense her standing. She was prepared to attack him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You’ll only wound yourself further.” His plan was concrete now. All he had to do was get to the end of this. He closed his eyes as he pricked himself on the finger. His mind fogged, giving him the relief he needed. He turned back at her, feeling nothing. “Hmm, no one important.”

Cilica heard the blankness in his voice. Her blood chilled. The thing she had been trying to stop had happened…Tarble’s emotions, they were gone. His eyes stared back at her, blank of any expression. The love he felt for her, any sign of light…it was all gone. It was as if he erased it. “The serum…”

Tarble moved with incredible sped, knocking her unconscious before she could say any more. He didn’t feel like laughing. Why didn’t he just kill her again? He noticed a small girl. She called him daddy and he grinned darkly. “Come, we have a mission to finish.” He stalked towards the hanger. He would get what he desired. He would rule as the Kaiser of this galaxy. No one would stop him…no one. The effects of what he had just done wouldn’t be concreate. Soon he would remember. Tarble knew there had to be a way around all of this.

As he walked out of the room and towards the pods that would carry him to freedom, the Kaiser found a figure in front of him. A young man, not saiyan in nature. There was a cocky grin on the face presented. The assassin moved quickly, striking the stranger with lightening speed. A smell entered his nose, this had to be an Earthling. He grinned. This had to be the one called Uub. “We’ll take this one, Tota. I believe that he’ll be a good living target for you.”

“Papa, when we get back can my nanny read me a story?” The little girl stated.

Tarble chuckled. “Yes, he will be looking forward to our return. I trusted him to look after everything while I was gone.” His greatest follower was waiting for him back home. Another survivor of their kind, a warrior that would put others to shame, even if he was timid.

* * *

 

Mata fired a few shots downward. She got a few headshots in from time to time, but that wasn’t he main focus. She needed to take down as many of the enemy as she could. Anyone that appeared to be getting too close had to be taken out as soon as possible. She took a deep breath, watching the fight below and taking in the air pressure around her. She couldn’t afford to mess up here.

Her scouter found her husband fighting off some of Frieza’s friends with Raditz, making her smile. Ahead, she could see Goku slamming his elbow through a man’s chest, while Goten beheaded another with ease. Vegeta shot out a final flash giving them a clear path. She looked around at the gate they made to the base, finding Gohan and Trunks leading a charge…but that Uub kid, he was nowhere to be found. Did he fall? It didn’t seem to be that big of a stretch to her. She heard a sound around her and wheeled around with a blaster. It was knocked out her hands with ease though. Her eyes looked up finding a few different soldiers of Frieza, how did they get here? She glared at them. The sniper still had a few hidden weapons on her. If they got close, she could take advantage of them.

They all laughed. “Looks like we found something nice to look at, might as well enjoy ourselves one last time.” The grubby looking men moved closer to her as she planned to grab a knife from her pocket. They wouldn’t take her alive.

Suddenly, it was as if the wind changed. Something…no someone was speeding around at top speed. Mata stared as each of the man fell over, blood drained onto the ground, while body parts were torn. Corpses laid where her attackers once stood. “How…?” She began, only for the her to freeze in place as he landed.

“Seriously, I would think after all of this time that I wouldn’t have to defend your honor. You should be more careful about these kinds of things, Mata.” He said with a grin.

Her eyes teared up. “It…It can’t…”

He laughed as he walked over and ruffled her hair. “Did big brother have to take care of the monsters under your bed again?” He teased in a voice that mimicked baby talk.

She turned red with anger. “NEGI!” She felt like kicking his ass. “After all of the shit you put me through, that’s the first think you say to me!”

Negi only smiled. “So, you admit you missed me. That’s good. I hope you weren’t too bored without me.” He teased before becoming serious. “So, Tarble’s gone off his rocker.”

“That appears to be the case.” Mata said, setting up her gun again.

“He’s always been a strange one. I never did like how quiet he was. It was like he was always plotting. To think that’s what he was really doing.” Negi said, “Anyway, now that that’s cleared up, I’m going to go back to the fighting. I just figured that I should check in with you before things got really heated down there.”

He disappeared without another word, leaving her back to her job of taking down those below them. She sighed. “Don’t get into too much trouble, Asshole.”

* * *

 

Vegeta ran forward, taking out another wall of soldiers. Around them the ground shook as Goku and his son cleared the path ahead. Never did the prince think he would ever see Kakarot fight like a true saiyan. It appeared that the two were having a moment as father and son.

Goku flew back, elbowing a man in the face before pulling him over his head and onto a spike. He felt some satisfaction at hearing the scream and feeling the rush of blood. He hadn’t felt this alive since red ribbon. As he took in his kill, he heard a snarl behind him. Goku turned around to find Goten had ripped the limbs from someone who dared to attack him.

“We can’t keep wasting our time here. Frieza is ahead.” Goten stated, his eyes narrowing as he saw the final trial. All three saiyans stopped in place as Frieza powered up into his golden form. At the same time, a pod was seen leaving the planet. Goten couldn’t sense who was inside, but it was clear that Tarble had escaped. The trio walked around the frost demon, ready to begin the fight of their lives. As they surrounded Frieza, more came. Turles, Negi, Raditz…even Gohan and Trunks had found their way here. The planet was practically deserted. Goten could sense Cilica moving through the building and Mata’s gun aimed at the golden fiend. Here and now, the final battle would rage. It was time they took back their pride.

To Be Continued…


	53. Chapter 53

Goten could feel the planet around them shake as they encircled the frost demon. Frieza was glaring back at all of them, planning where to strike first. The berserker attempted to read the frost demon’s movements but couldn’t get anything from him. Vegeta warned him that this would be a dangerous fight. Frieza now had all of his attention. Those that could transform allowed their bodies to make the change. Vegeta stood closest to the monster, going straight to the second stage of super saiyan. He growled low in his throat, allowing his own body to do the same. Going to stage three would just drain him of his power, it appeared that his father was thinking the same as Goku remained in stage two as well.

Frieza chuckled. “So many monkeys, so little time.” His gold body stood in the middle, preparing blasts for those closest to him. He laughed loudly as he fired them right at the prince and Turles. Vegeta flew up, dodging out of the way instantly. Turles was hit, sending him back, but Raditz came to his aid, producing a smoke bomb. The battlefield was backed in shadow, giving those with ki sensory abilities an edge.

Vegeta pushed through the smoke, landing an elbow to the frost demon’s face. He snarled as Frieza’s tail grabbed him, tossing him back towards the planet like a doll. He pushed himself back up, growling at the form of the one that ruined everything. His planet, his people…his parents, Tarble…what had Frieza done to all of those things? Everything the frost demon touched fell apart, descending into darkness. This wouldn’t happen again. He had lost everything once before. He wasn’t going to allow it to happen again.

Goku allowed himself to go further. He could tell this form wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before. It would take all of their power combined to leave a dent. He would have motioned to Goten, but the smoke still covered the sky. He closed his eyes, finding his son’s ki. Goten was gathering his rage. The berserker was letting go, gathering as much power before going to his third stage of super saiyan. The earth saiyan felt proud as he flew forward himself, Frieza caught his fist. He heard a soft chuckle as his arm was twisted, warm blood trickled down his arm. Just how strong was this form? The earth saiyan bit his lip, taking the pain and allowing it to fuel him. He had seen worse. He had died twice. If he allowed this monster to get past him, they would all die.

Turles looked over at Raditz, who was setting up more bombs. “We have to work fast. No one can touch the ground! Hear that!” The metal saiyan dashed forward, making a blast of his own and sending it toward the golden monster. Turles flew up next to him, gathering that power together.

Negi flew in, adding his power to the duo. “Need a hand?” He said with sarcasm. Yells filled their corner of the sky as Frieza inched towards them with a sadistic smile. The frost demon’s eyes could have sent chills down the spines of everyone involved.

Gohan and Trunks looked to each other, one going to his mystic form and the other allowing that strange dark-haired form of his to appear. The multiple energy blasts fired at the same time, attempting to hit the frost demon, but as the smoke cleared completely, Frieza stood there laughing. Trunks was shocked, but Gohan made him stay in place. “Keep your eyes on him.”

A blast fired through the air, the bullet hit the frost demon in the back of the shoulder but flicked off of him. Frieza turned his attention to that path. He chuckled darkly, he pointed at a rock formation in the distance, firing at it. There was an explosion in the distance. Turles snarled. He rushed forward, punching the frost demon in the face. Savage sounds left his lips, only for him to be punched in the stomach. Frieza laughed as he drove his fist forward, causing the spy to spit up blood. Before the monster could deliver the final blow, he tossed him to the ground. An explosion went off from one of Raditz’s bombs, but it didn’t kill Turles. He was on the edge.

Goten snarled. He was toying with them. He planned to bring them all the edge of death and torture them. The heat in his body grew as he dashed forward through the sky. A feral snarl left his lips as he kicked the frost demon in the face, sending him back. Energy flowed around his body. His anger…his wrath was growing. He would be losing his mind now, the chaos inside of him was growing.

Vegeta pulled himself up. He looked over at the fallen Turles. There was some ki still there, forcing him to turn back to the fight. His eyes fell on Kakarot. The earth saiyan’s arm looked as if it had been placed in a blender. “This is something we’ve never seen before.” The prince stated, glaring at the monster in front of him.

“That doesn’t matter. We have to move forward.” Goku stated, looking to Gohan and Trunks as the two appeared besides them. He held up his broken arm. “We can still fight.”

Gohan found himself grinning. “It looks like Goten got the first hit. Let’s add to that.” He flew up, attacking the frost demon himself. The sky around him filled with blasts, blinding Frieza for a moment. Trunks fired a final flash, sending Frieza back, but not doing any damage. Curses were shared among the saiyans as they looked at the impossible road ahead.

Vegeta stared at the monster. “Tell me, what did you do to Tarble?” He wanted an answer. His brother was long gone from this planet. That meant getting answers would be close to impossible now.

Frieza laughed. “You’re asking me that? Why does he matter to you? He was never worth your time.” The frost demon got satisfaction out of Vegeta flying up and attacking him. He punched the prince in the stomach, causing him to cough up blood. “If you really cared, you would have come back for him.” He cackled. “All of you are so foolish, following a prince who only thinks of himself.”

Vegeta glared at the frost demon. “That’s what you tried to make me. A monster just like you.” He powered up, only for Frieza’s tail to smack him back once more. Kakarot appeared at his side, as did Negi, adding their own power into the fight. Bombs fired off as grenades were tossed at the golden frost demon. The sky filled with smoke again, allowing the saiyans an advantage for a short period of time. Raditz came up, strapping his strongest bomb to Frieza, before giving everyone the signal. It blew, but as the smoke cleared, no marks appeared on the creature in front of them.

Raditz growled, but was grabbed by the frost demon and tossed to the ground like a doll. He heard some cracking. His metal limps had been broken, followed by him screaming. This was why the nerves were attached. He screamed in agony, almost throwing up from the intense pain. He didn’t know what was worse, the bomb that he blew himself up with or this.

Gohan dove forward, attempting to get in a quick attack, but he was slashed across the face before getting kicked in the abdomen, sending him into a large section of explosives. He panted as he looked up at the scene above him. His eyes grew dark as he attempted to push himself back up. He was temporary blind, but he could deal with that. This meant that he was going to have to rely on his ki alone. Finding Frieza was easy. He gathered his hands together, sending up a Kamehameha. The open sky around it hit his target. He sensed Frieza stagger, only to feel a jolt through his chest. Forcing him back to the ground.

Trunks stared down at Gohan for only a second. His eyes flashed back to Frieza. Was this really the danger that his father knew as a child? He really had been underestimating his father’s suffering. He gathered more power in his hands, getting closer to Goku and Negi. The two were firing at Frieza. Earth’s hero looked beyond pissed about the attack on Gohan. Trunks had never seen Goku’s teeth bared like this. It was as if he was seeing the wild animal known as a saiyan for the first time. Trunks placed his hands on the shoulders of the two, giving them his energy, feeding a Kamehameha and Galic Gun. Frieza fired back, causing a struggle of energy blasts in the sky. He was having more trouble pushing them back though. Vegeta and Goten added on two Galic Guns of their own, surrounding the creature in ki filled blasts. The sky ignited, it was like a bomb went off.

Goku’s teeth were gritted as blood fell to the ground from his arm. It stung horribly, but he pushed forward… that was until his energy ran out. The fall of his arm allowed Frieza the opening he needed. The frost demon rushed forward, punching him in the face and sending him back to the ground. He coughed, blood came up as the ground shook. He was dizzy…and tired. The visions of the battle above him began to fade in and out.

Trunks dashed in to take his place, but was tossed to the side. His hair was burned from one blast from the frost demon, along with his skin, making a clear mark across forehead. The heir growled, blood flowed into his eyes, painting his vision red. He raced forward, landing a blow against Frieza’s chin, only for the frost demon’s tail to wrap around him. It was as if it was crushing his bones from the sheer force. He bit his lip, drawing more blood. He felt weak as the one called Negi flew in, bashing Frieza in the head and biting one of those cones off the side of his face fiercely. The sweeper spit out the tissue from his lips as Trunks was dropped. The heir landed near where Turles and Raditz had.

Negi flew back, looking at Vegeta and Goten. The runt’s eyes were changing color. Something was getting ready to happen. They noticed that Frieza was landing. “Now would you like to do this the easy way or the hard way?” Frieza asked, aiming his hands at Gohan and Trunks. “Both will die if you refuse to land.”

The three lowered to the ground. It appeared that their time in the sky was done for now. The saiyans stared down the monster in front of them. Frieza chuckled as Vegeta stared back at him. “You look a bit damaged, Frieza. Not bad for what you called some monkeys.”

Frieza glared back at them before firing a single blast that knocked out Negi against some rocks. “This leaves the Master and the Student, does it not? It’s funny, at one time, you could have said the same thing about me and you, Vegeta.”

The prince snarled back at the frost demon. “I was young and foolish. Your words mean nothing to me.” He snapped.

“Ah yes, those memories of yours have grown cold. But not as cold as Tarble’s. You really think that this fight ends with me? That my power is something extraordinary?” Frieza laughed. “I wouldn’t be this strong if it wasn’t for him. Enhancements given by that lost brother of yours. I never thought he would turn against me, but then again, it’s hard to figure out what he has planned next. For Tarble, we are nothing but pawns. This is a game to him. That’s the way I once looked at the world, but alas, it seems that I’ve been beaten by him.” Frieza walked forward. “That’s a crime punishable by death in my eyes. I will find that runt and make him pay for his betrayal.” He fired a blast, only for the duo to fire back. Twin galic guns fought against one red blast that lit up the sky, causing the horizon to be stained as if it were covered in blood. “You don’t want to stop me! We can kill him together! Think of your proud father, Vegeta!”

The prince gathered all of the power in his body. He shouted as it began to drain out of him. He would put everything into this. If Frieza lived, he would destroy everything. Trunks was still alive near him, Bulma and Bra were waiting for him. He wouldn’t allow this monster to do anymore damage to the ones he loved. Vegeta’s body was enveloped in his energy, the waves sent Frieza flying backwards. He had only used this attack once before…against Majin Buu. If this was the place he was destoned to die, then so be it. The ground around him cracked open, revealing a giant fissure. Magma popped below him as he sent his life force out, burning the frost demon alive. The attack engulfed him as he refused to let go. The prince could feel himself slipping away. Each second, he was losing his grip on reality. His eyes began to fall, when suddenly, he was pushed out the way. Vegeta looked up finding Goten in front of him. The Berserker gave him one glance back. The prince couldn’t feel most of his body as his eyes fell. He would have to leave this final battle to his student.

The berserker’s eyes flashed as they stared back at Frieza. The golden form had fallen, leaving the creature before him back in his forth form. His body was burned, revealing sections that any anatomist would fawn over. Goten only felt hatred for the one before him. “Did you really think we would ever side with you willingly?”

“He’s a monster, you already know that about Tarble. He won’t stop.” Frieza said with glee. “I had fun stirring the pot, but I wasn’t the one that sealed the fate of that boy.”

Goten snarled. Someone had convinced Tarble to go down this road. His blood boiled as his hair changed color. A red energy flowed around him as he stared back at the monster in front of him. “That doesn’t excuse your actions. You really think that I would give you any sympathy?” He saw red as he pulled up his right hand. It felt heavy from the battle. Frieza was shrinking away from him for some reason. The frost demon powered back up, to the gold form, but looked fearful. Goten could feel the energy in his body gathering the same way the Vegeta’s had previously. He focused on his arm, placing all of that energy there. Images of the trials he faced appeared behind his eyes. His moments with the horde in the beginning, bonding with them, growing stronger, gaining respect, falling in love, fighting this war…it was all apart of him now. If he never came out here, he would never know himself. His pain, joy, love, trust, and pride found their way into his arm. The fire inside of him burned as he lit up the sky around him. An earthquake shook the ground beneath them as Frieza tried to push him back. Magma shot up from the fissures that Vegeta created, splashing around them. Fire jolted around him, letting him take in the heat and use it to his advantage.

Frieza pushed back, screaming in horror as the energy from the berserker over powered his own, his fingers were melting away, turning to dust before his eyes… he tried to reason with the saiyan before him, but there was no mercy in those eyes, only gratification for tormenting him to the very end. The red haired saiyan walked closer, adding more damage as he neared the frost demon. Frieza pleaded for his life, only to be laughed at. The frost demon calmed before smirking himself. “You know, you and him…you’re so much alike.”

Goten’s grin remained in place. “Which one?” His mind thought to his father or Vegeta.

“Tarble.” Frieza laughed one last time before the rest of him turned to dust. His last word rang through the mind of the berserker.

Goten felt confused but didn’t have time to think. His body was weak as he fell to the ground…everything went dark as he heard someone calling out his name. This was over…the fight was all over…

* * *

 

Goten coughed as he awoke in a strange room. There was white all around him. Machines were beeping as he attempted to pull himself up. The berserker felt even more confused at the lack of feeling in his right arm. He attempted to move it, only to freak out. His left arm was enough to push him up, but he kind of wished he didn’t look at himself. From his shoulder down…there was nothing.

Panic set in. Where did his arm go? He began to search around him, but couldn’t find his arm anywhere. Finally, his eyes landed on Vegeta. The prince was in a chair next to him. There was a somber feeling that settled between them. “Is he gone?” Goten had to ask his mentor.

Vegeta nodded. “Yes, you killed Frieza. Hopefully, he’ll stay dead this time.” The prince pushed back on his chair, revealing that there were wheels on it. Goten’s face paled. “Do not pity me. They say I won’t walk again, but I’ll show them.” The prince took a look at the boy’s arm. “You’re set to get a metal one soon. Everyone else has been checked out of here besides you and me.”

“Does Bulma know yet?” The berserker asked, noting that Vegeta seemed perturbed by his lack of movement.

“If she doesn’t, she will soon enough.” The prince rolled himself away from Goten’s bed. “Come, we should go find see them.” He watched Goten get up. The boy’s remaining hand grabbed the back of his wheelchair and pushed him closer to the door. Mentally, he prepared himself for what was in the other room. He didn’t doubt his mate. Bulma would think of a way around this. That was just in her nature.

Goten looked out, finding his family. Gohan was talking to Pan and Trunks. It seemed that the bridges that were thought to be burned there had been repaired. His father had a cast on, which his mother was tending to. Across the room, Mata had had a wrap around her left eye, while Turles seemed to be covered in bandages. Raditz’s fake limbs had already been replaced. Next to them all, Negi had his son in his arms. The sweeper was gently rocking him back and forth.

Onuin was shaking his head next to his father. The tank had to have come out of that bizarre state he was in. Next to them, Cilica sat with Flambee on her lap. She seemed crestfallen. Polar and her weren’t talking. There was a clear wedge between them now.

“DAD! GOTEN!” Bra was the first to notice them and ran over. She began to cry into the berserker’s chest. She had been worried about the two of them. It took her a second to realize that Goten had lost his arm. She looked up at his face, only for him to smile down at her. Finally, she smiled. He was alive. That’s all that mattered.

They were quickly surrounded as the horde and the rest of their families came closer. Goku couldn’t stop Chichi from jumping forward to examine their son’s arm. At the same time, earth’s hero noticed that Vegeta wasn’t standing from his chair. The prince exchanged a look with him, telling Goku everything he needed to know. “Chichi, why don’t we give them some space?”

The horde seemed to notice the chair instantly. Vegeta crossed his arms. “Don’t pity me.” He smirked. “Give me time, I’ll walk again and be kicking all of your asses.” His spine had been mangled when he used his lifeforce. “Now, Raditz, I believe that a false arm will be needed for the berserker over here.” Bulma had walked forward, she smiled at him before lowering herself to kiss his forehead.

“You don’t have to be strong all of the time. If you want to be pissed off about your legs, you can be pissed off.” Bulma said, only to see a look that told her everything she needed to know. “I’ll be there every step of the way.”

Trunks looked down at his father, it was strange seeing him in a state like this. “Would a senzu bean help?”

“I don’t know. There’s some heavy nerve damage.” A doctor said. “Natural cures wouldn’t be helpful this far down the line. You can try physical therapy, but I don’t see it doing you much good.”

Vegeta growled, making Bulma smile. “You clearly don’t know my husband.” Laughter overtook the group as the somber tone around them seemed to fade. They were given some prime entertainment as the nerves for Goten’s new arm were attached. The boy yelped a bit from the sudden action, only to be teased.

Bulma remained close as she looked over the room. “We can go home tomorrow. I think it’s time we rested a bit.”

Vegeta sighed. “Tarble’s still out there.” His brother had disappeared without a trace from what he had heard. Just where could his younger brother be? It bothered him, but that wasn’t the biggest hit.

Polar walked up to Goten, speaking with the boy about something in front of the Son’s. Chichi had a slight freak out before the boy grinned. “Mom, I’m fine with this.”

Goku and Gohan looked at Goten. The berserker was really going to agree to stay out here in space. “Son, are you sure?”

Goten nodded. “I can stay here in the patrol. After everything…I’m not sure I could return to Earth just yet. I… I belong out here.”

Chichi shook her head, only for Bra to look up at Goten. “Does this involve me staying as well?”

“I can’t stay here without my wife.” The berserker stated, just for the Briefs to join them. Goten looked as his mentor, waiting for his approval. The prince gave him a grin. “You know my reasoning.”

“Yes, I understand it. Just return home every once and a while.” Vegeta stated, before turning to his daughter. “Why don’t you join the patrol as well? Tracking down villains is one way to spend a honeymoon.” The prince teased.

Bra turned red. “Dad… I’ll miss you.” She leaned down, giving him a hug. The princess felt herself crying as her mother joined in on the hug. “I’ll miss you too, Mom.”

Trunks shook his head as he looked at Goten. “Just don’t get into too much trouble without me.”

“It looks like you and Pan are going to have your hands full on Earth anyway. You are heading back to a board room.” Goten said feeling complete with himself.

“Yeah, time for things to get boring again. I can handle that.” Trunks said, moving over so the Son’s could get back to their son.

Chichi gave him a hug. “You’ve grown up so much…It’s hard to believe that you’re my little boy anymore.”

“Mom…” The berserker turned red from embarrassment.

“She’s right. You’ve become one hell of a warrior.” Goku stated. The earth saiyan felt proud. “Just come home every few months…I could always use a good spar.” Gohan nodded in agreement.

Vegeta looked up at his student. “It seems that this will be goodbye for now kid.” He knew that Goten was trying to hold back tears. “You’ve gone real far. You have nothing to be ashamed of.” The prince chuckled. “Now, about grandchildren.”

“DADDY!” Bra blushed. “Not yet!”

“Just give me some hope for the future.” The prince teased. The horde ended up partying into the night. It appeared that some of the horde had decided to stay with the patrol. Turles and Mata agreed to stay, since Raditz was now the leader of the Bomb Squad. Onuin, with Nappa, ended up going to Piscina. Cilica and Polar appeared to be talking once more, but were still separated for the time being. Negi surprised everyone when he announced his retirement, with plans to go to earth. It seemed that everything had returned to normal. Plans were made amongst them.

When morning came, they all said their goodbyes. Vegeta found himself basking in this bittersweet moment. Never did he think he would be a good teacher…but here he had crafted the greatest warrior he could ever imagine. It turned out that those forgotten days coming to life hadn’t been as bad as he thought they would be. As they headed through space, he looked out at the stars. Thoughts of this adventure played in his mind. He would find Tarble someday. He still wanted some answers.

Bulma came up behind him, leaning against the back of his chair and hugging him from behind. The prince wouldn’t trade this for anything else all of the galaxies. At one time in his life, he believed all he needed was power and greed, but in the end that was the furthest thing from the truth. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. If anyone had told him back then that the one thing he truly needed in this life would be this person, he would have called them crazy. “Bulma…”

The heiress gave him a smile. “Do you need me to grab you a pillow?” She figured that he had to be uncomfortable with sitting so much. But as she was going to pull away, he whispered something in her ear that had her turning red. Tears filled her eyes as she leaned down to kiss him. “I love you too, Vegeta.”

The End

Wait, wait, WAIT! There's still an epilogue that's going up tomorrow. Yes, this series will have a sequel in the future, more about that and some details about upcoming events soon. 


	54. Chapter 54

6 years later

Negi sighed as he grabbed himself a drink from the fridge. It was hard to believe that this much time had passed. His son was eating breakfast, they had a party later that afternoon. The horde was getting together for Vegeta’s birthday. A lot had happened in six years. The sweeper was enjoying his retirement. As walked to the table with his drink, he looked over at his son, Taman. His former mate’s personality was shinning through. He missed her and thought about dating again, but thought against it. This time was for focusing on his son.

The sweeper watched as his son ran into the living room. He sighed again, pulling out a computer chip from his pocket. He always kept this on himself. The last thing anyone needed to see was the truth. Tarble’s secrets would remain hidden. He didn’t know what the assassin would do. It was like he had disappeared behind the scenes once more. Tarble had to be watching…waiting. He swallowed what felt like a knot in his throat. What if the king of assassins showed up on his doorstep? Would Tarble be kind or show his real colors? It was hard to say. Negi had kept these secrets. There were things he knew now about the shortest member of the horde, that would make anyone’s skin crawl. Even robotic limbs would tense and shake upon learning the truth.

Negi stood from his seat to find his son sparring in the yard. He grinned. It appeared that Goten’s eldest had come over. The runt and Bra had their first child about a year after everything had happened. He didn’t sense the runt on the planet yet, so his daughter had to be staying with the Son’s or the prince.

Vega giggled at him, showing just how fierce she was. It had gone just as Vegeta had wanted, her hair was completely black, as were her eyes. He watched the two, noting how they couldn’t have a care in the world…if only he could say the same for Goten’s youngest.

* * *

 

Onuin landed on earth with his father next to him. He wasn’t too happy about coming here. He was still on odd terms with some of the horde. Those from what he now called the Son family were not on his good side. The large saiyan had never gotten over the death of his mate. He didn’t know how Negi could get over it so soon. The two fought to the point where they were practically strangers. The only reason he was here was due to it being the prince’s birthday…nothing else. Part of him wondered where Tarble was, even if the smaller prince had tricked him. The assassin had made it clear what he wanted. In the end, Tarble had no reason to lie to him.

Nappa clamped his hand over his son’s back. “Come on, your sister should be here soon.”

“I don’t know why she went back to that frost demon.” Onuin stated, feeling frustrated. He hated Polar more than ever. Before it was more of a dislike, now he found himself feeling pure distain for Polar. What once seemed like a healthy relationship between his sister and the frost demon was now a much different one. Flambee got all of the attention…while the youngest son…he was regarded like he was garbage. He couldn’t believe that his sister was allowing this.

“Tarble raped her, Onuin. Of course, she wouldn’t be herself.” Nappa tried to explain. If they had found Tarble soon after the end of the fighting, maybe things would have been different, but here they were years later with no sign of him. It was as if both the prince and his granddaughter had vanished into thin air. “Let’s focus on happier things today. I bet Negi will be there.” Nappa watched his son tense up. “You two need to talk. I know there’s a rift between you know, but he’s moved on.”

“His wife wasn’t killed by a member of our horde.” Onuin stated, walking past his father.

Nappa sighed. Some things never changed.

* * *

 

Cilica looked over at her husband as they finished up landing. Polar looked like he was in a better mood than he had been in recently, of course he would with a new baby on the way. Flambee had grown taller. Their son gave them both a smile. They did look like a happy family…that was until out of the back of the ship walked out her youngest son. The boy didn’t look at her. He only stared out the window blankly. The former thief couldn’t get past how much he looked like Tarble. The only difference had to be that the bang that came down in the middle of Tarble’s widows peak was off to the right side and larger.

Polar glared at the boy. Tarpao was nothing more than a reminder for them. The boy jumped a bit from his icy stare, stumbling over his words in the same manner that his father once did. The frost demon refused to let go of any suspicions. “Now, Flambee, I know that everyone will want to track your progress.” He ignored his stepson. The boy didn’t have any ki anyway…he really was just like his father. Not that Tarpao knew anything about his real father.

Tarpao walked away, opening a compartment and taking out a book. He could feel eyes on him. His father always did this. Flambee was the favorite. There was no doting over him. He was called scrawny for his age. “Tarpao, I know that Verrot will be there. Why don’t you think of something to do with him?” His mother asked, giving him a warm smile. For some reason, she always looked like she was going to cry when she stared at him, but before he could comment, the conversation had switched to Flambee once more. He sighed, going back through his book of plants. At least Verrot would be there…

* * *

 

Raditz rolled his eyes as Turles and Mata followed him out of the ship. His wife was trailing behind with his daughter, Nuka. It had been awhile since they had seen Kakarot. He could see his youngest brother waiting for them outside. The prince was still inside, but it appeared that everyone was here besides Goten and Bra. He turned red when he was pulled into a hug, only for his wife and Mata to giggle. Turles was given the same treatment.

To the side, Gohan was talking with his own wife and a Namekian. There were some humans there as well. Turles suspected that they were members of Kakarot’s horde. Trunks came out of the building with Pan. The two had gotten married about a few years back. Her belly was large as she sat down. Raditz was preparing to tease Gohan about his lack of glasses when another ship landed. The doors opened and out walked Goten. The berserker would have come with them, but they were dealing with some issues at home.

Goten looked back to his wife as Bra exited the ship, behind her was her son, Verrot. Vega, who was already there, was sparring with her friends. Negi’s son was met with a spar right off the bat from Vega and Raditz’s daughter. Verrot went to talk with Tarpao…it was still a mystery as to why the two boys suffered from a lack of power level though. The news seemed to make Chichi happy though. They could focus on studies over fighting. This didn’t stop Vegeta or Goku from trying to get some fighting spirit out of the boy though. He was their only male heir at this point and for him to have no power at all seemed off.

Bulma walked out of the house as pleasantries were passed between the party goers. Vegeta was still sulking in the house. He hated parties to this day. It took a lot for her to convince him to let her throw one. The heiress gave her daughter a hug. It had been a while. Both Goten and Bra worked for the patrol, but in different areas. The two were extremely busy. Sometimes, Bulma kind of wanted to keep the kids here. Having a nanny wasn’t going to work all of the time.

The prince finally rolled himself out in his chair. He glared at them all, but ended up smirking as Goten sent a playful jab his way. The party went on into the night, they made sure that there wasn’t a full moon that night. As they stared at the stars and the children had been sent to bed, the conversation changed. “Where do you think he is?” Vegeta asked, thinking about his brother. He still felt the burden of blame. How could Tarble had disappeared so easily? He seriously thought that he would have shown himself.

“I don’t think he’s going to show up again until he has something big planned.” Goten answered, getting looks from those around him. “He took so long with his first plan, I bet it will be a good 10 years before he even tries something.”

“Or he’s pulling the strings as we speak.” Raditz said, the bomber felt uneasy. They had been easily manipulated before. Whatever Tarble had planned, this would be a major blow to them.

Turles thought that over. “He does know how to hide better than anyone.”

“Can we not talk about Tarble?” Cilica said, shivering as her thoughts went back to the man who had once been her friend…remember the last look he gave her sent grief through her. If only she could have been there to really help him.

“I think we should.” Mata said, getting an angry look from Polar. “We have families out there. I bet that someday, he’ll come for Tarpao.”

“If he wishes to come for that child, he is free to do so.” Polar said, feeling angry. “Let’s face it, Tarble’s too much of a coward to face any of us directly.”

A smack landed hard against the frost demon’s face, but the source was unexpected. Negi was glaring at Polar. “He’s not a coward by any means. Don’t even try to think of him as weak.”

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, “Negi, you know something.” He could tell that the sweeper was holding back something. “Tell us.” It wasn’t a request, this was an order.

Negi sighed. “I’m only referring to what he’s done. Someone weak wouldn’t go through all of that. Tarble isn’t going to just back down. He’s not afraid of any of us.” The last thing he wanted to do was bring up that chip. No one need to know what was on that…it would hurt less if everyone was kept blind.

“He’s got a point.” Turles said, noting how Negi had deflected the question he was asked. He figured he would give the sweeper a pass. If this was something that Negi wasn’t prepared to tell them, they would have to wait. It really could be nothing.

Vegeta sat back in his chair. He was staring at Bulma. The housewife had been called away for a work call. The guys began to laugh at him. They could tell that he wanted some attention from her. “You know how she is with work. You’re going to have to something big to get her attention.”

“Why don’t you blow up the gravity room?” Trunks teased. “That always seems to work.”

Bra giggled. “You can just wait. It shouldn’t take that long.”

Vegeta grinned. “No, I know just the thing.” To the shock of those around him, he grabbed the armrests on his wheelchair, he was still a little weak, but he was able to pull himself up to his feet. The sensation felt strange. He had been trying to walk all of this time. He never allowed his legs to grow too weak. He took a deep breath, taking the first step. His legs felt heavy, but it was doable. The prince reached out, grabbing a table near him to stabilize himself as he took each step closer.

Trunks and Bra were gapping at their father in shock. They really thought he would be paralyzed forever. Vegeta took one last step, setting himself behind Bulma. The prince grabbed her and pulled her against his chest from behind. The heiress turned her head around fast. “Vegeta?” She blinked before dropping the phone. Her eyes filled with tears. “Vegeta! You can walk!”

The prince chuckled. “I told you, nothing would keep me in that chair forever.” The party basically erupted, the conversation about Tarble had been forgotten…for now. All they could do was wait, eventually, he would reappear.

* * *

 

Somewhere in space

A monitor beeped loudly. Peaks appeared on a screen in quick succession. The waves moved faster as a bag moved, signaling that someone was still breathing. Wires crackled as the device was placed. A flat line appeared on the screen as a body was sown shut.

The doors to the surgery wing were opened. A young girl was in tears. She was screaming for her father, while a monster sized saiyan tried to calm her. Blood covered the floor as the wound was closed with a specialized salve. There was a cough from the bed, telling the girl that her father was okay. “Father!”

Tarble coughed a few more times, before looking onto a tray. He smirked. “It appears that it was a success.” The Kaiser stated, before scowling. “Dry your tears. A true assassin doesn’t cry.”

“Yes, Father…I let my emotions get the better of me.” Tota said as she stared as the monster saiyan sat down. “Broly, can you inform the others?”

The large saiyan complied, leaving the two alone. Tarble smirked once they were alone. This was the final straw of what he needed to be complete. The organ in the tray was still moving, expanding and contracting desperately.

“Shall I save it, Father?” Tota asked walking behind him and fixing his pillows.

Tarble thought that over. “Yes. I would like to stare at it every morning. Make sure that it’s placed in a tank if you could.” His body was cold, the opening in his chest was still odd, but he felt great. “Make sure to get plenty of rest tonight.”

“Why father?” Tota asked.

“We have no time to waste. It will take a while, but the pawns will fall in place. They always do.” The lead assassin stated. “The galaxy will be mine.”

“Yes, father.” She bowed in respect, turning red as she left him alone. His still beating heart in her hands as she walked out of the room

Tarble chuckled to himself. Now that that hazard was gone, he could move forward with his plans. No one would find this place, he had made sure of that. It was time to build up his armies. He would take his place at the top, time was needed.

The assassin thought of his second child. “Now, where could you be?” He smirked darkly. “Oh, my son…I have big plans for you, just wait and see, my little prince.” He cackled darkly as an idea for revenge came to him. They would all pay…especially that thief…the greatest thief of all. Conmen would be silenced when he reached his goal. He had pounced too early last time. Patience was key. His revenge… it would come to him. All he had to do was wait.

The End.

Author’s Note

Here we are…the end. The real end. Both of us cried when we finished this. Yes, there will be a sequel, when it will begin is still unknown. Jo is about to take her national board exams, but we are already going over different plot points. We loved this story and we still do. We want to thank everyone that left comments, kudos, favorites, and follows. Each one made us smile. We didn’t think this story would get as much attention as it did. When we first thought this one up, it was actually going to be really short, only about 25 chapters, but it exploded the more we went into detail. Strangely enough, this was originally wasn’t going to be a story about Goten. Hell, the OC’s were added when we decided to make it longer. Before we added this story to the site, we had spent about 3 to 4 months developing the plotline and changing things around. A lot of scenes were talked about at length over the phone and we even worked on some fanart of them that will never see the light of day, since neither of us are good at drawing people. This series went through so many rewrites and changes. Love interests changed more than once, some characters were completely scrapped. It was really one of the largest projects we have ever worked on.

That being said, the sequel has a name and we’ve started collecting notes, but it won’t be going up any time soon. The adventure story taking it’s place is a story that Jo already has up on her fanfiction account, it’s just getting betaed and added each week, since she has to study for my boards. But even after that, there is still going to be some waiting as we’re in the middle of starting an even bigger project. The fic in question has been in development for 3 years at this point and will be around 5 or 6 book sized fics long, that’s how insane this old, but new project will be. That being said, the sequel for Days Forgotten will be called Nights Remembered, but that’s all we can say about it at the moment.

Again, thank you for your support and we hope to see you all in the future. -Pika and Jo

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note:  
> This monster of a fic will update once a week on Saturdays.


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